HPV Vaccine Becomes a Hot Topic in Presidential Race

Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum both attacked Texas Governor Rick Perry for issuing an executive order to require young girls to get the vaccine, which can prevent a form of cancer. All three are running to become the Republican Party’s nominee for president to challenge President Barack Obama, who will be on the Democratic ticket in 2012.

Bachmann calls vaccine a ‘government injection’

	Both Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum said parents should have the choice of vaccinating their children against HPV.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted viral infection. At least half of all people who have ever had sex get infected with it at some point in their lives, and there are many different strains of it, kind of like the flu. In rare cases, the virus can lead to cervical cancer. 

By issuing an executive order in 2007, Perry mandated that sixth-grade girls in Texas get the HPV vaccine without having the state Legislature vote on the issue first. The executive order was later overturned by the Legislature, meaning it never actually took effect.

Bachmann and Santorum both said the decision to get the vaccine should be left to parents. Bachmann said requiring the HPV vaccine at the state government level constitutes a “government injection.”

Perry called the 2007 order "a mistake," but he also defended his decision, saying that it was an attempt to protect young women against cervical cancer.

"I am always going to err on the side of life," Perry said.

Some people who oppose the vaccination requirements say 11- or 12-year-old girls are too young to be vaccinated against sexually transmitted infections, and that it encourages young girls to have sex because they feel protected.

Those who favor requiring the vaccine say it is necessary to immunize girls while they are young so there is no chance they will be exposed to the types of HPV that cause cancer.

What’s the risk?

	The CDC estimates that there are 6.2 million new HPV infections each year in the United States.

Most of the time, HPV does not result in any illness orsymptoms. For 90 percent of people who contract it, the body’s the immune system fights it the virus off naturally without any issues.

But on rare occasions, some types of HPV can lead to cervical cancer. Almost all cases of cervical cancer are linked to HPV.

HPV also has an incubation period. Once someone is exposed to the virus, it could take months or even years for symptoms to ever appear. People can also pass it to others, even if there are no symptoms.

HPV can only be tested for in women. If a man contracts the virus, he usually will never know but he could infect others unknowingly.

The Vaccine

	There are over 100 strains of the HPV virus.

Vaccines can prevent the strains of HPV that can cause cervical cancer.

Since the vaccines became available, at least 20 states passed laws that require young girls get the vaccine or require funding and/or public education for the vaccine.

The map below provides more information about where the mandate has been considered or is in effect.

Most public health organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend that girls around the age of 11 or 12 be vaccinated against HPV.