Efficiency of the anti hpv vaccination campaign

Health campaigns, free services and vaccinations such as the human papilloma virus HPV vaccination all form part of our efforts to improve the health of all women in the Western Cape. When must my daughter be vaccinated?

As a researcher interested in how gender and science interact in the realm of health policy, I knew what a controversial blunder its earlier marketing had been. They infect 80 percent of women and 66 percent of men at least once over the course of their lives. While the majority of HPV infections disappear without treatment, prolonged infection with high-risk strains can develop into a variety of cancers: Getting an HPV-related cancer.

Because Merck included only females in its efficacy trials for the vaccine — even though researchers knew that males could transmit the virus and could also be harmed by it — the initial approval and promotion of Gardasil turned vaccination into a health issue for young women only.

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It ignored that 50 percent of those carrying the virus in heterosexual interactions are male. The fallout of this focus on females is reflected in vaccination rates. In60 percent of females and 42 percent of males aged 13 to 17 years had received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 40 percent of females and 22 percent of males completed all three shots in the vaccine series.

Although data suggests that the gap may be narrowing, there is still a lack of gender parity. The Versed campaign directly mentions that HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, another important step in the right direction. The original Gardasil campaigns did not talk about sex, using gender stereotyping in a way that disempowered women.

It shows a series of females giving their reasons for choosing to get vaccinated. The strategy of backing things only after they become socially acceptable is highlighted in the one thing missing from the Versed educational campaign: The American Cancer Society has released numerous statements identifying HPV as the cause of the majority of anal cancer — much of which is preventable — in men who have sex with men.

The link between HPV and anal cancer was well-known among scientists before the development of Gardasil.

Yet men who have sex with men were consciously left out of the original trials and now, a decade later, when this is socially accepted behavior, the Versed campaign is still silent about it. I believe this is largely because the sexual behavior of the LGBTQ community is still heavily stigmatized.

Sign up for our First Opinion newsletter Please enter a valid email address. Privacy Policy Leave this field empty if you're human: HPV can affect anyone, regardless of sex, gender, or sexuality.

Marketing to a certain demographic, or not including all the facts, can exclude individuals from the reaping the health benefits of a product.

The pharmaceutical industry has an important stake in public health, and so has a responsibility to consider what strategy promotes health for as many people as possible when it comes to the development and marketing of any drug or device.

Going forward, how can pharmaceutical companies avoid reifying societal biases and, as a result, undermining the public health effectiveness of their products?

In particular, the FDA must be vigilant in addressing sexual and gender stereotypes in the development, approval, and marketing of pharmaceuticals. While the pharmaceutical industry and FDA are waiting for certain health issues to become de-stigmatized, people are developing eminently preventable cancers and dying from them.Jul 16,  · Adoption of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the US has been slow.

In , HPV vaccination of boys was recommended by CDC for routine use at ages 11– We conducted and evaluated a social marketing intervention with parents and providers to stimulate HPV vaccination among preteen boys.

Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). This STI is most commonly known for causing genital warts, but can also lead to cancers in both men and women, including cervical, penile, anal, and cancers of the head, neck, and throat.

ORAU provides crucial support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as it pursues increasing the HPV vaccination rate.

CDC set a goal of 80% coverage by , and ORAU is helping CDC achieve that goal through a national media campaign to promote the HPV vaccine to clinicians and parents of adolescents. The vaccination protects girls from being infected by HPV and reduces the risk of developing HPV related cervical cancer later in life.

The younger your daughter is, the better her body’s immune system can respond to the vaccine, resulting in the production of protective antibodies against the virus. ABOUT HPV ACTION. HPV Action (HPVA) is a collaborative partnership of 48 patient and professional organisations that are working to reduce the health burden of HPV.

To achieve this, HPVA will deliver an advocacy campaign that aims to achieve gender-neutral HPV vaccination. Join the HPV Vaccine Campaign Working together to prevent cervical cancer, SGO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourage SGO members to connect with pediatricians and others who are in a position to provide the vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) to boys and girls.