Gardasil

I was watching Anderson Cooper's 360 when I saw that he had a segment about Gardasil. Gardasil is a vaccine against cervical cancer...and it has just been approved by FDA. WoW! This marks a very important step forward in women's health.

Eversince I became an oncology nurse, my eyes opened on the importance of cancer prevention. I have seen enough of cancer victims that every night I pray that they would find a cure for cancer... And the emergence of Gardasil is a blessing.

Gardasil is a vaccine that helps protect against diseases cause by HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). HPV causes cervical cancer, genital warts and abnormanl/precancerous cervical,vaginal and vulvar lesions. Their primary target population for this vaccine would be predominantly females between the ages of 11-13. But Merck and Co. is saying that the vaccine could also help those people who has HPV.

Now, this has set up a clash between health advocates who want to use the shots aggressively and social conservatives who are citing fears that it could send a subtle message of encouraging sexual activity before marriage.

I don't know but I think the vaccine is great. It would help prevent a cancer that kills a large number of women each year....and that having your pre-teen vaccinated with this could also be an avenue for you too to talk about sex.

National Cervical Cancer Coalition likened the vaccine to wearing a seat belt. As they say,"Just because you wear a seat belt doesn't mean you're seeking out an accident,".

No one could have said it better.