Take a Pass - Go Right to Failure
We're always looking for good news. Especially good news on the medical/health front. And sometimes we're rewarded. As when it was announced not all that long ago that a vaccine has successfully been tested on young women against HPV. Successful in that it has demonstrated an astronomically high rate of cure. If that isn't honking good news what would be?
The HPV vaccine, named Gardasil, came on the market in Canada last July. It's been universally recognized as a breakthrough preventive tool for one of the most common cancers among young women. Last year alone saw 1,350 new cervical cancer cases resulting in 390 deaths. So far, about 15,000 Gardasil prescriptions have been sold by retail pharmacies.
While there is still much debate in the United States with respect to the product, Texas and Virginia are offering the vaccine to grade 6 girls, and several other states are considering enacting enabling legislation to do likewise. The debate revolves around the fact that some conservative factions feel that to offer the life-saving vaccine is tantamount to promoting pre-marital sex among young women.
No one has yet debated the efficacy of enacting legislation to offer high-style chastity belts to young girls to let them become accustomed to the discipline involved in self-control. Education is fairly effective, but not with all young people and by simply doing nothing at all when a life-saving tool has finally been placed at our disposal can also been seen as condoning the survival of the fittest - or the most cautious.
In Canada a government advisory committee recommended in January that this human papillomavirus vaccine be provided to all girls aged nine to 13 for the purpose of preventing the sexually-transmitted virus, the cause of most cases of cervical cancer. Yet no provincial governments responsible for immunization programs have so far decided to underwrite distribution of the shots.
Some indicate they are still awaiting responses from their own experts, others are discussing the issue within their health departments. And all of them are more or less sitting back, hoping the federal government will take the initiative and announce a national program to fund all such vaccines.
All of the provinces cite the costs involved. For a province like Saskatchewan $170 for each of three shots per recipient translates to roughly $3 million annually, whereas the province's total vaccine budget of $10 million to pay out for universal immunization programs for meningitis, chicken pox and other diseases makes the prospect of paying out for the HPV vaccine seem excessive.
The Canadian Cancer Society is unequivocal in its support for the need to begin these vaccination programmes as soon as possible country-wide. They suggest creative financing, which might include negotiations with Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, to lower prices, as has been done in Texas. "It's the first of a kind, it's very effective for a specific type of cancer. It is a tool women should have available".
And at $400 per person the treatment is held to be too high an expense to be borne by most families with children. This would be the perfect time for the federal government to step in and demonstrate the responsibility which the provinces appear to be shirking.
The HPV vaccine, named Gardasil, came on the market in Canada last July. It's been universally recognized as a breakthrough preventive tool for one of the most common cancers among young women. Last year alone saw 1,350 new cervical cancer cases resulting in 390 deaths. So far, about 15,000 Gardasil prescriptions have been sold by retail pharmacies.
While there is still much debate in the United States with respect to the product, Texas and Virginia are offering the vaccine to grade 6 girls, and several other states are considering enacting enabling legislation to do likewise. The debate revolves around the fact that some conservative factions feel that to offer the life-saving vaccine is tantamount to promoting pre-marital sex among young women.
No one has yet debated the efficacy of enacting legislation to offer high-style chastity belts to young girls to let them become accustomed to the discipline involved in self-control. Education is fairly effective, but not with all young people and by simply doing nothing at all when a life-saving tool has finally been placed at our disposal can also been seen as condoning the survival of the fittest - or the most cautious.
In Canada a government advisory committee recommended in January that this human papillomavirus vaccine be provided to all girls aged nine to 13 for the purpose of preventing the sexually-transmitted virus, the cause of most cases of cervical cancer. Yet no provincial governments responsible for immunization programs have so far decided to underwrite distribution of the shots.
Some indicate they are still awaiting responses from their own experts, others are discussing the issue within their health departments. And all of them are more or less sitting back, hoping the federal government will take the initiative and announce a national program to fund all such vaccines.
All of the provinces cite the costs involved. For a province like Saskatchewan $170 for each of three shots per recipient translates to roughly $3 million annually, whereas the province's total vaccine budget of $10 million to pay out for universal immunization programs for meningitis, chicken pox and other diseases makes the prospect of paying out for the HPV vaccine seem excessive.
The Canadian Cancer Society is unequivocal in its support for the need to begin these vaccination programmes as soon as possible country-wide. They suggest creative financing, which might include negotiations with Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, to lower prices, as has been done in Texas. "It's the first of a kind, it's very effective for a specific type of cancer. It is a tool women should have available".
And at $400 per person the treatment is held to be too high an expense to be borne by most families with children. This would be the perfect time for the federal government to step in and demonstrate the responsibility which the provinces appear to be shirking.
Labels: Realities
posted by Pieface @ 2:11 PM
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