Texas almost mandated an HPV vaccine before politics got in the way. Now, the state has one of the country's highest rates of cervical cancer.

[CitizenVectron]

https://www.texastribune.org/2019/08/12/texas-low-rate-hpv-vaccination-keeping-cervical-cancer-rates-high/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1574782492&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

 

Quote

In 2007, two governments set into motion a massive public health experiment.

 

One was the state of Texas, where lawmakers rejected a mandate to vaccinate adolescent girls against human papillomavirus, or HPV, a near-ubiquitous sexually transmitted infection that causes cervical cancer. For more than a decade since, the number of Texas adolescents vaccinated against HPV has remained low.

 

On the other side of the globe, Australia, a country with roughly the same size population and economy as Texas, was taking a radically different approach. Public health leaders there rolled out a nationwide program that offered the HPV vaccine to girls for free at their schools. The program, though optional, proved popular, and it later expanded to boys. Vaccine coverage grew rapidly, with up to 80% of teens becoming immunized over the next decade.

 

Now, 12 years after Texas and Australia first veered onto wildly different courses regarding HPV prevention, their gap in health outcomes has widened demonstrably. Australia is on track to become the first country to eliminate cervical cancer, perhaps within a decade. Texas, meanwhile, has hardly made a dent in its rate of cervical cancer — which remains one of the highest in the United States, with an incidence comparable to that of some developing countries.

 

 

[TwinIon]

Yep. That certainly seems like the expected outcome.

[Guest]

I don’t care if my kids get the vaccine, but I continue to be wary of government mandated medical procedures. Making the vaccines free and easy to access is about as far as I’m willing to go.

[Joe]

9 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

I don’t care if my kids get the vaccine, but I continue to be wary of government mandated medical procedures. Making the vaccines free and easy to access is about as far as I’m willing to go.

 

As someone with HPV (thankfully low risk), I disagree!

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Vaccines are a public health issue. They should be mandated.

[CitizenVectron]

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

I don’t care if my kids get the vaccine, but I continue to be wary of government mandated medical procedures. Making the vaccines free and easy to access is about as far as I’m willing to go.

 

As the spouse of someone with a massively depleted immune system due to medical issues (who is more susceptible to illness), I disagree.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

As the spouse of someone with a massively depleted immune system due to medical issues (who is more susceptible to illness), I disagree.

What does your wife’s immune system have to do with the HPV vaccine?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

They should be mandated.

So says the person who rails against the government making choices about what you can do with your body. Very consistent.

[Jason]

2 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

So says the person who rails against the government making choices about what you can do with your body. Very consistent.

 

Abortion only affects the woman getting an abortion. Vaccination affects everyone. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Just now, sblfilms said:

So says the person who rails against the government making choices about what you can do with your body. Very consistent.

Cute, but fail. My reproductive rights are not a public health issue. I thought you were smarter than that, or maybe you're just being deliberately dishonest.

3 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

What does your wife’s immune system have to do with the HPV vaccine?

Again, don't be dishonest. Your post came off as a screed against all vaccines.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Just now, Jason said:

 

Abortion only affects the woman getting an abortion. Vaccination affects everyone. 

Seriously, it's not that hard. I think he's trolling at this point, because he's not dumb.

[CitizenVectron]

12 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

What does your wife’s immune system have to do with the HPV vaccine?

 

Not this vaccine, but vaccines in general. She can't receive some vaccinations so she is reliant on herd immunity.

 

Mandating vaccines makes better public policy than outlawing murder, in terms of how many people it saves. It shouldn't be optional at all, barring serious allergies.

[skillzdadirecta]

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

So says the person who rails against the government making choices about what you can do with your body. Very consistent.

 

[Keyser_Soze]

@sblfilms is just trying to be me now.