Health News
2005-09-27
STD vaccines are
in the works
Several
experimental vaccines to prevent sexually transmitted
diseases are in the works, but they face opposition
from some paren
Several
experimental vaccines to prevent sexually transmitted
diseases are in the works, but they face opposition
from some parents and right-wing government officials
who say that because the shots are intended for
children, they will encourage sexual activity among young
people, the Chicago Tribune reports. By the end
of the year, the first human papillomavirus vaccine could be
submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval.
HPV has been linked with virtually all cases of
cervical cancer and also can cause anal and genital
warts. Experimental vaccines to prevent herpes simplex
virus type 2 also are in clinical trials, and shots to
prevent gonorrhea and chlamydia are in development.
Advocates say
giving the vaccines to children or adolescents would help
prevent infection with the STDs, many of which carry
significant health risks, such as cervical cancer or
damage to the reproductive system. But conservatives
say eliminating the risks of STD infection could encourage
more teenagers to engage in sexual activity. "[STDs] in the
United States will not be contained by injecting
vaccines into pre-adolescents in anticipation of
promiscuous behavior," Scott Phelps, executive
director of Abstinence and Marriage Education Partnerships,
told the Tribune.
The antigay
right-wing group Family Research Council initially called an
HPV vaccine “a license to engage in premarital
sex,” but it has since changed its
position to oppose only mandatory vaccination against
the STD because of the vaccine’s ability to prevent
cervical cancer.
Vaccine
developers say the injections are not meant to replace
educating children about sexual activity, including
teaching young adults to remain abstinent or practice
safer sex if they do become sexually active. “For
most parents, the moral decision is to protect their
children” from potentially dangerous diseases,
Gregory Zimet, a professor of pediatrics at the
Indiana University School of Medicine who has studied
parents’ views of STD vaccines, told the
Tribune. A study in the September edition of
the Journal of Adolescent Health shows that
most parents would allow their children to be
vaccinated against STDs. (Advocate.com)
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