Arg:
Pir ates in Portland Living, page 9
Nutrition:
How to keep the Freshmen 15 off Living, page 8
The Vol. 112, Issue 04
BEACON The University of Portland’s student newspaper
Thursday September 23, 2010 www.upbeacon.net
HPV Vaccine: A first for UP For the first time the UP Health Center is providing the HPV vaccination Gardasil to women at a reduced price
Laura Frazier Staff Writer frazier13@up.edu On Sept. 30, the UP Health Center will offer the Human Papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil to female students between 19 and 26 years of age, at a reduced cost of $15 per shot. This is the first time UP has offered the vaccine, but the supply is limited. Gardasil is becoming increasingly popular. Many women are choosing to protect themselves from HPV, a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that that can cause genital warts and different types of cancer such as penile in men and cervical in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since HPV is an STI, the CDC
recommends the vaccination before the onset of sexual activity. According to the CDC, 12,000 women in the U.S are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and 4,000 die from it. However, most people contract the virus without ever experiencing complications. There are dozens of strains of HPV, and Gardasil protects against four of the most common. CDC statistics show that 50 percent of sexually active people get HPV at some point in their
HPV Facts
• 24,900 cases of HPV associated cancers per year • 17,300 HPV associated cancers occur in women per year • 10,800 HPV associated cases of cervical cancer per year • 4 out of 5 women will have been infected by HPV at some point by the age of 50 • 40 or more types of HPV can infect a person’s genital area
See HPV, page 4
Catholic
medical group takes position on vaccine
Who: Female students between 19-26 Date: September, 30 2010 Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m. Place: UP Health Center Price: $15 per shot, payment by check, cash or billing or student accounts Call to make an appointment: (503)-943-7134
Graphics Couresy of Rob Bouwman - Fotolia.com
In a position paper released in 2007, the Catholic Medical Association announced its support of the HPV vaccine as guided by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “The CMA supports widespread use of Gardasil for girls and women in the age range (11-26 years) for which the vaccine has been recommended by the ACIP, because it is effective, safe and ethical to use, provided certain conditions are met,” according to the position paper. The CMA states that there are no ethical objections to the use of the vaccine, as prevention of HPV should not be interpreted as encouraging sexual activity. However, the CMA does oppose requiring the vaccine for school admittance and believes that parents should have the choice as to whether or not their child is vaccinated. UP Health Services Director Paul Myers is excited to be able to offer the vaccine to students, and is happy with the reaction of the CMA. “It was pleasant to see that the Catholic Medical Association also endorsed this vaccine,” he said. “I am glad that they came to the same conclusion that we did.”