1 in 4 teenage girls, brought to you by Gardasil.

So by now you probably heard this shocking statistic: 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease. Today, the the 2003-04 government survey results were released at a CDC conference in Chicago. I’m wondering why it took 4 years to inform the public about this. As with many statistics, I think it’s important to look at it within its context. I think that with the onset of HPV (which can be transmitted through a condom, and without full sexual intercourse), a lot of newer statistics on STD’s will be jarringly high.

In the study, the most prevalent STD (18% of the girls surveyed tested positive for it) was HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), which incidentally affects at least 50% of sexually active men and women at some point in their lives (according to the CDC website).

So what’s the point of this study? In order to prevent the increase of the disease’s prevalence, the CDC concluded that all girls ages 11-12 should be administered the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. However, the vaccine protects against only certain strains of the disease that can cause cervical cancer. Plus, it has only been around since June of 2006. So far, there have been some serious adverse reactions and approximately 11 deaths reported worldwide from the vaccine.

Interestingly enough, Merck, the maker of Gardasil is ‘helping finance campaigns to get states to pass legislation that would make it mandatory for girls as young as 11 or 12 to receive’ the vaccine. It makes me wonder who helped fund the study, as they did not test for STD’s and STI’s like HIV or Hepatitis. It also makes me wonder who helped fund the conference where this information was disclosed.