Changes

The cost for buying and administering the three-dose vaccine is about $500 per child.  Accordingly, the cost of vaccinating 100 children will be about $50,000, but only 3 out of that 100 will ever be exposed to the HPV types targeted by the vaccine. The average age of diagnosis of cervical cancer is 48 years old.  Accordingly, the cost is $15,000 to $50,000 per child to possibly protect her against a cancer over 30 years in the future. There is not yet a clear plan in place for funding this vaccine.   

The cost for buying and administering the three-dose vaccine is about $500 per child.  Accordingly, the cost of vaccinating 100 children will be about $50,000, but only 3 out of that 100 will ever be exposed to the HPV types targeted by the vaccine. The average age of diagnosis of cervical cancer is 48 years old.  Accordingly, the cost is $15,000 to $50,000 per child to possibly protect her against a cancer over 30 years in the future. There is not yet a clear plan in place for funding this vaccine.   

Alternative means of protection against cervical cancer include abstinence (most effective, but only if sexual partner is also abstinent), and early detection via pap smear (effective if done regularly, but only ''detects'' infection or precancerous changes.  It does not ''prevent'' infection, but can prevent progression from infection to cancer). <ref>http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#cancer</ref>. Condoms have also been suggested as a means of protection <ref>http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/25/2645</ref> but there is concern over their effectiveness <ref> Report to Congress 2004: Prevention of Genital Human Papillomavirus Infection, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gerberding, J.L., M.D., M.P.H. (January 2004): pp. 3-4. </ref>

Alternative means of protection against cervical cancer include abstinence (most effective), and early detection via pap smear (effective if done regularly, but only ''detects'' infection or precancerous changes.  It does not ''prevent'' infection, but can prevent progression from infection to cancer). <ref>http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#cancer</ref>. Condoms have been shown to reduce the risk of HPV transmission but are insufficient to eliminate the risk entirely<ref>http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/25/2645</ref> <ref> Report to Congress 2004: Prevention of Genital Human Papillomavirus Infection, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gerberding, J.L., M.D., M.P.H. (January 2004): pp. 3-4. </ref>

The [[Association of American Physicians and Surgeons]], the Texas Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics do not support making this vaccine mandatory.

The [[Association of American Physicians and Surgeons]], the Texas Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics do not support making this vaccine mandatory.