Students take advantage of new HPV vaccines

Author: Michelle Constant

The introduction this past fall of a newly developed vaccine that prevents the contraction of human papillomavirus (HPV) has been met with success, according to Parton Health Center staff, with approxiamately 25 female students receiving the vaccine per week since September.
Gardasil, which first entered the market in the summer of 2006, requires patients to receive three doses to guarantee seroconversion, or the development of specific antibodies to the virus.
According to Terry Jenny, associate director at the health center, many students who received their first dose of the vaccine "have the misconception that they have to return to their doctors at home for all three doses." But with proof of the date of previous doses of the vaccine, students can receive their second or third doses at the College, she said.
The College charges $139 per dose, but does not charge administrative doctor's fees, as with any vaccine offered. Jenny said that most insurance companies cover at least a large portion of the cost of the vaccine.
HPV includes over 100 different strains of one virus, more than 30 of which are sexually transmitted. It affects more than 50 percent of sexually active people over the course of their lifetime, and 80 percent of women by age 50. Most people who become infected with HPV will not show any symptoms, and the virus will eventually disappear on its own. However, some strains of the virus can lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus or penis, while other lower-risk strains can lead to genital warts.
According to the Department of Health Services Web site, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved the use of Gardasil to prevent HPV in June of 2006. The vaccine protects against four HPV types that are known to cause 70 percent of cases of cervical cancer and 90 percent of cases of genital warts.
"The vaccine is so new that people are still developing procedures for administering it," said Jenny. The administration at the College is discussing how to best offer the vaccine. It is not currently stocked on campus because it is very expensive and expires quickly. Students requesting the vaccine must call in a prescription to the pharmacy. The vaccine can then be delivered to the College, to be administered by nurses at the Health Center.
According to Jenny, there are no restrictions on female students who can receive the vaccine. Females aged 12 to 26 are covered under most insurance companies.
"We'll do anything here at the Health Center that is appropriate and reasonable," Jenny said. "It's part of our general policy and protocol for general College healthcare." Gardasil is offered at the College in the same way that available vaccines against all STDs are offered.
"The new HPV vaccine seems to be a great idea," said Director of the Health Center Dr. Mark Peluso. He hopes that the federal Food and Drug Administration will consider approving it for men in the near future as well. According to Peluso, genital warts affect both sexes and homosexual men can also contract anal condyloma through anal sex, which can lead to invasive anal cancer. Condoms and abstinence are currently the only preventative measures available for these men.
Peluso said that the vaccine has not been available long enough to gauge long-term effects, but that the pre-market data seem to indicate it is a safe method of prevention.
However, Jenny emphasized that, even with the introduction of this new vaccine, women should continue to regularly get Pap smears to get screened for cervical cancer. She said that the vaccine only prevents four strains of HPV, and other strains can still be contracted through unprotected sex.
"The biggest controversy surrounding Gardasil is that it is currently the most expensive vaccine on the market," said Elizabeth Lyon '07, one of two co-presidents of Feminist Action at Middlebury (FAM). "If my insurance doesn't cover Gardasil, I'm basically deciding between buying books for a semester or protecting myself against cancer." Lyon believes that this is not a decision students should have to make and that, although availability of the vaccine is crucial, it also needs to be made more affordable.
Despite student complaints of the vaccine's cost, the College has no plans to offer completely free vaccinations in the near future. Meanwhile, some states are considering passing legislation that would make the HPV vaccine a school requirement, much like the measles vaccine. On February 5, Texas Governor Rick Perry issued an executive order requiring all schoolgirls to receive the HPV vaccine before entering the sixth grade.