Inside Cancer

Unless you've been living in isolation for the past 1 - 2 years, you would have found it almost impossible to avoid hearing about the risk of cervical cancer, and the two new HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccines (Gardasil and Cervarix) that have now been introduced as a prevention strategy against this disease.

In a revolutionary age where media campaigning has tremendous power and potential to infiltrate thinking and ideas on national and global scales, distinguishing fact from emotion becomes a confronting, yet subtle dilemma.

The platform for the introduction of these 2 new HPV vaccines onto the worldwide market has been on the basis of the threat and risk of cervical cancer, and has presented the same dilemma to potential recipients of these vaccines.

The problem is, although facts are a far more logical basis on which to make such a decision, emotion is often a far more powerful motivator for action or compliance in situations where health is the prime factor. And in this situation, the fear of cervical cancer has formed a very solid basis for the HPV vaccine campaigns.

There's certainly no question that cervical cancer disease 'can'' and 'does' have serious (sometimes fatal) outcomes. However equally so, 'any''medical procedure, artificial drug, pharmaceutical product or vaccine by its very nature also carries with it varying degrees of risk - both temporary and permanent. This includes the HPV vaccines.

The unfortunate truth is that the bulk of media campaigning and information disseminated to the public has avoided, disguised or cleverly side-stepped pointing out the facts and health risks associated with the actual vaccines, which to date have included (but are not limited to): loss of consciousness, paralysis, Guillain Barre Syndrome, hospitalisation, permanent disability and death.

The questions any female or parent (of daughters) considering this vaccine needs to ask themselves are these:

'Is' cervical cancer as widespread and as serious a health risk as portrayed in media campaigns and by our health authorities?

Is it merely coincidence that solid media campaigns against cervical cancer disease have been hand-in-hand with the introduction of these vaccines?

Have all the facts regarding all the risks of both the disease and the vaccine been accurately revealed?

The challenge for any potential recipient, is in identifying the true facts about the risk of cervical cancer versus the associated risks and benefits of the vaccine. Unfortunately, many recipients of these vaccines have based their decision on limited information provided in media campaigning that has ignored 'all' the facts - resulting in decisions made on emotion rather than sound logical judgment.

Tragically in many cases, the associated health risks of the vaccine has resulted in more devastating and irreversible outcomes than an actual cervical cancer diagnosis. As challenging as it might be, you owe it to yourself to research the facts before deciding whether or not these vaccines are of benefit, and whether these benefits outweigh any potential risks.

By basing your decision on fact, not fear, - your decision will be an informed one, and the one that's right for you in your individual situation. Whatever you decide, make it an informed one.