Gardasil: HPV vaccine info and discussion
in Women's Health ·
It’s honestly annoying how vaccine manufacturers keep harping on about "efficacy," yet we still can't actually verify any real data—mostly because it takes forever to see if a vaccine actually prevents things like CIS or cancer. For them, "efficacy" just means seeing antibodies in a girl's blood after the shot. But look, even if some girls test negative for HPV a few years down the line, does that prove the vaccine worked? Not necessarily. They're usually following all the other advice too—using protection, staying with one partner, etc. So how can we be sure it’s the vaccine doing the heavy lifting and not just a change in behavior? Plus, more kids are being told to use condoms anyway out of fear of STIs and other stuff. Given all the headlines about birth control issues, it’s no wonder; young people want to protect themselves if they aren't sticking to traditional values until marriage—which, let's face it, isn't always the best move if you're trying to figure out if someone's actually "the one." Even if this vaccine is a massive opportunity to tackle cervical cancer, its actual utility is questionable when it doesn't touch anything else: Hepatitis B or C, HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, mycoplasma... infertility, or any of the other headaches that make people rethink having sex at all. Bottom line? Less promiscuity and responsible behavior matter more. We need to keep watching this vaccine and stay skeptical.