State Rep. John Zerwas, the Texas House’s only practicing physician, has weighed in on the HPV debate. As a medical pro, he’s focusing on the public health implications:
However, Governor Perry’s mandating the vaccination of 11 year-old girls against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted disease, to me represents a radical and unwise shift away from the state’s current policies for vaccinating children.
To start, though HPV does present some serious health risks for women if left untreated, it does not present the same level of public health hazard as do the measles, mumps, rubella, and whooping cough. There is a reason why vaccines for these other illnesses are mandated: they are contagious diseases that can be transmitted by virtue of an infected child walking in a classroom and breathing. As in real estate, location matters here because the HPV cannot be transmitted without sexual activity – and, therefore, does not constitute a public health threat to Texas’ schoolchildren while in the classroom.
It follows, then, that I cannot support extending the mandated childhood immunization program as preferred by the Governor. Such a prescription, in my view, will only serve to undermine public trust in the existing, and badly needed, childhood immunization efforts.
There are so many good reasons to oppose a mandatory HPV vaccine, on the grounds of personal liberty, economics, insider dealings, and now public health. Good work, Doc!
Filed Under Uncategorized ·
Comments
27 Responses to “Doctor-turned-state-rep weighs in on HPV shot”Search
Our Sponsors
Poll
Loading ...LST Book Club
-
Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy
by Natan Sharansky -
Fear No Evil
by Natan Sharansky -
The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror
by Anatoly Shcharansky -
The Jewish State: The Struggle for Israel's Soul
by Yoram Hazony -
Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There
by David Brooks -
Snobbery: The American Version
by Joseph Epstein -
A Conflict of Visions: Idealogical Origins of Political Struggles
by Thomas Sowell
We need logic in policy making, and mandating vaccines for CHILDREN in the case of HPV is sadly lacking in logic. Great post!
“……will only serve to undermine public trust in the existing, and badly needed, childhood immunization efforts.”
Yes. Of course.
I wonder if Perry or those advising him sought the advice of a single physician unassociated with Merck.
O.K. Dr. Zerwas, what is your co-pay?
Bravo, Dottore ! Bravo !
If Gov. Perry was truly concerned about public health, he would shut the border and prevent the hundreds and thousands of cases of STDs, drug-resistant TB, and hepatitis being brought here by the illegal alien invaders.
We do not have the HISTORY of Gardasil, we have no 20-30 year follow ups, we dont even have a 5 year follow up. What horrible possibilities could perry be forcing on our children. ALL FROM THE MAKERS OF VIOXX
REMEMBER D E S!!! It has destroyed the lives of 10’s of 1000’s of people as if affects up to 3rd generations.
Here is what the CDC says about DES
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen that was developed to supplement a woman’s natural estrogen production. First prescribed by physicians in 1938 for women who experienced miscarriages or premature deliveries, DES was originally considered effective and safe for both the pregnant woman and the developing baby.
In the United States, an estimated 5-10 million persons were exposed to DES during 1938-1971, including women who were prescribed DES while pregnant and the female and male children born of these pregnancies. In 1971, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Drug Bulletin advising physicians to stop prescribing DES to pregnant women because it was linked to a rare vaginal cancer in female offspring.
More than 30 years of research have confirmed that health risks are associated with DES exposure. However, not all exposed persons will experience the following DES-related health problems.
Women prescribed DES while pregnant are at a modestly increased risk for breast cancer.
Women exposed to DES before birth (in the womb), known as DES Daughters, are at an increased risk for clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the vagina and cervix, reproductive tract structural differences, pregnancy complications, and infertility. Although DES Daughters appear to be at highest risk for clear cell cancer in their teens and early 20s, cases have been reported in DES Daughters in their 30s and 40s (Hatch, 1998).
Men exposed to DES before birth (in the womb), known as DES Sons, are at an increased risk for non-cancerous epididymal cysts.
Researchers are still following the health of persons exposed to DES to determine whether other health problems occur as they grow older.
Whether you know for sure or suspect you were exposed to DES, you can use CDC’s DES Update to learn more about what DES exposure means and what you can do about DES. This section of CDC’s DES Update includes the following information.
DES History
Known Health Effects – In-depth information about the health effects found in women prescribed DES while pregnant, DES Daughters, and DES Sons.
Related Concerns – A discussion of potential, but unconfirmed, health risks and other related health issues.
CDC’s DES Update – An overview of CDC’s DES health education program, including a timeline of the history of DES and a list of partner organizations.
HAL - One word - - WHY
But, as I’m sure you’ll all hear from Eric, this doctor is WRONG. Perry just has all of our daughters’ best interests at heart, after all…
/sarc
Headline reads:
MEREK AND PERRY ARE SURE TO TAKE ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR FUTURE HEALTH ISSUES CAUSES BY GARDASIL.!
I am a DES baby. I was 17 when I devoloped a rare form of vaginal cancer. It is known to be a side effect of DES!!!
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen that was developed to supplement a woman’s natural estrogen production. First prescribed by physicians in 1938 for women who experienced miscarriages or premature deliveries, DES was originally considered effective and safe for both the pregnant woman and the developing baby.
In the United States, an estimated 5-10 million persons were exposed to DES during 1938-1971, including women who were prescribed DES while pregnant and the female and male children born of these pregnancies. In 1971, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Drug Bulletin advising physicians to stop prescribing DES to pregnant women because it was linked to a rare vaginal cancer in female offspring.
More than 30 years of research have confirmed that health risks are associated with DES exposure. However, not all exposed persons will experience the following DES-related health problems.
Women prescribed DES while pregnant are at a modestly increased risk for breast cancer.
Women exposed to DES before birth (in the womb), known as DES Daughters, are at an increased risk for clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) of the vagina and cervix, reproductive tract structural differences, pregnancy complications, and infertility. Although DES Daughters appear to be at highest risk for clear cell cancer in their teens and early 20s, cases have been reported in DES Daughters in their 30s and 40s (Hatch, 1998).
Men exposed to DES before birth (in the womb), known as DES Sons, are at an increased risk for non-cancerous epididymal cysts.
Researchers are still following the health of persons exposed to DES to determine whether other health problems occur as they grow older.
Whether you know for sure or suspect you were exposed to DES, you can use CDC’s DES Update to learn more about what DES exposure means and what you can do about DES. This section of CDC’s DES Update includes the following information.
DES History
Known Health Effects – In-depth information about the health effects found in women prescribed DES while pregnant, DES Daughters, and DES Sons.
Related Concerns – A discussion of potential, but unconfirmed, health risks and other related health issues.
CDC’s DES Update – An overview of CDC’s DES health education program, including a timeline of the history of DES and a list of partner organizations.
Surprisingly (to me), a lot of my Lefty Lib friends on the Mommy Boards are coming out AGAINST this mandate. Is it b/c Perry (who they see as a conservative) made the mandate? Had it been Shelia Where’s-the-Camera Lee I wonder if I’d be hearing a bunch of PRAISE for the measure?
jimb
First - reading comp time - its not mandatory
The SAT Question of the day would be
What do you think Parental Objection means?
A.) that the parent can say no
B.) that the black clad ninja’s can hold your child down and give them the injection
C.) That Perry knew the scopes monkeys would be running amok down the halls of the Senate
D.) Both A & B
E.) Both A & C
F.) Neither
G.) All of the above
H.) Forget it just bend over
Sigh deep sigh I knew some doctor was going to bring up diseases that have been immunized for years to compare against cancer.
Get the gov and merek to sign this:
Contract Merek and the State of Texas and Governor Perry to mandate Texas children to be given the Gardasil injection.
1. You agree to accept 100% responsibility for any adverse side effects I may suffer if I take Gardasil upon your mandate with your assurance that this treatment is 100% safe, for the duration of my life, This will include:
You will take full financial responsibility for all cost of medical care required due to known and unknown side effects of Gardasil mandated to be given to me by you.
-loss of work because of known and unknown side effects of Gardasil and symptoms that may become so debilitating I can’t function properly or without pain;
-you will be available 24 hours a day, giving me access to your home phone number, your cell phone numbers, your pager number, your e-mail address, and take any phone calls I place into your office, your home, your cell phone or your pager; should I become depressed and need to talk; should I not be able to sleep, and need to talk; should I just need to talk due to known and unknown side effects of Gardasil caused by your mandating I be given Gardasil including fears whether founded or unfounded.
2. Should I be continuously cold, or in pain, because it was mandated I take Gardasil, it will be your responsibility to see that I have whatever I deem necessary to keep warm and pain free.
3. You will accept responsibility for all hair appointments, hair and nail treatments should I suffer from known and unknown side effects of Gardasil such as cancers and need Chemotherapy that will cause my hair to become brittle, break or continue to fall out or affect my natural nails;
4. You will accept responsibility for any and all fertility treatments should I not be able to conceive caused by your mandating Gardasil be given to me.
5. You will accept responsibility for ALL ophthalmologist visits and any surgeries that may occur as a result of known and unknown side effects of Gardasil bringing on or worsening my eye disease.
6. Should I get the eye disease or my existing eye disease worsens after treatment with Gardasil you will accept financial responsibility for all eye drops, eye gels, tape to keep my lids closed over night, steroid treatments, eye radiation and surgeries.
8. If my eyes become so bad I can no longer drive and must use public transport or be driven, you will assure me that I will get to wherever I need to be day or night.
9. You will monitor me for the duration of my life for known and unknown side effects of Gardasil , You will supply any and all medications I will have to be on for the rest of my life due to known and unknown side effects of Gardasil.
10. You will NOT treat me as a lab value but will remember Merek received value and You mandated Gardasil.
13. You will accept financial responsibility for all necessary treatment, for the duration of my life, should I ever get any of the cancers or known and unknown side effects of Gardasil, this will include, cancer of the thyroid, breast, ovarian, (or testes) cervix, uterus, pancreas, and parathyroids or any others that may be deemed at a later date to be an outcome of Gardasil
14. You will accept full responsibility should my pancreas, pituitary, adrenals become incapacitated for the duration of my life.
15. Should there be, at a later date, any other symptoms, reactions, consequences of the use of Gardasil on my body released from the Medical Associations, and from Independent Research that are not listed above, you will accept full responsibility in medical bills, free medical treatment and lost wages for the duration of my life.
16. Should I die because of an adverse reaction to the use of Gardasil because of any future complications, or because I became depressed and have taken my own life out of desperation, you will, willingly, without bias, pay numeration to my family, or the person I decree, a sum total of Ten million dollars ($10,000,000.00) within 5 working days of my demise.
17. Should you expire before the end of this contract, you will designate your estate to continue with full financial obligations through the duration of my life.
If you will agree to sign this contract, after reading and initialing each item in front of a notary or your attorney and return this signed agreement to me and my attorney, we will then sit down and discuss Gardasil treatment. I will then be able to believe YOU that all is safe with this treatment, that you have no qualms treating me this way, and in the future, because you know that none of the above mentioned consequences is a possibility. I can trust you to treat me safely, compassionately, with full medical attention.
However, should you not be inclined to sign this contract, I will fully understand, and we will both understand that Gardasil will not be discussed between you and I again, unless *I* choose to bring it up.
Name _________________________ Date__________________________
*Witness ______________________
Date _________________________
Patients
Name________________________ Date_________________________
*Witness ____________________ Date_________________________
* Witnesses to be an attorney or at the very least a Notary Public.
You go doc! Any idea where this guy stands on illegal immigration and tax appraisals?
Jimb
From RCP - BTW bashed Perry lightly in the rest of the article but at least he put this first:
Last June the FDA approved the vaccine Gardasil, hailed as a breakthrough in protecting against four strains of HPV that are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer cases. In January, Gardasil was put on the 2007 “recommended immunization schedule” issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Center for Disease Control (CDC). As a result, certain state legislatures have begun debating bills that would make Gardasil a state-mandated vaccine.
sounds like the doctor in Austin is guilty of political malpractice
Your doctor reccomends it insurance companies aregoing to require it - OH YEAH BABY
If you want to be insured for cancer you WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT!
Mute point but I have a bunch of bananas reserved at the fruit and veg market for all the scopes monkeys that are screeching from the rafters in Austin.
Eric,
Can your daughter “catch” cancer just by walking into a room where other kids have cancer?
BTW (and this is probably snarky) a “mute” point is one made by a person that can’t speak. I think what you were trying to say was moot point. With your vast legal experience I would have thought you’d know this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mootness
Further point of clarification:
The “leaning tower of pizza” is something you create on your kitchen table after a particularly large order from Papa John’s.
… just in case you were wondering.
Eric;
The good doctor, however, is pointing to the precise reason why Gardasil and the other other vaccines are different.
HPV is not generally communicable in a classroom setting. These other diseases are. Thee is therefore a legitimate basis for a government mandate in the case of the latter class of vaccines that does not exist with regard to Gardasil and HPV.
Now, would I argue in favor of any parent choosing to give the vaccine? You bet I would — but even Merck’s own commercials say to consult your doctor to determine if the vaccine is right for you. It does NOT tell patients to consult their governor, or the governor to consult his wife, Merck’s lobbyists, and political cronies to make that determination.
By the way, Eric, how many cases of cervical cancer are there in Texas each year? How many result in death? Contrast that with the same statistics for influenza and tell me which should be mandated — especially since one of the diseases does spread through casual contact in a classroom.
And Eric, I’ll make you a deal — if this vaccine is so important, let’s expand it to require every woman under 26 be required to get it to receive or renew a driver’s license.
Is garasil the great savior drug of the future or is it a sham with unknown side effects. There are points that favor and oppose both sides of the discussion. It really doesn’t matter who is right or wrong concerning this drug. What is important here is that either way;
IT ISN’T THE GOVERNMENTS BUSINESS!
Let’s not forget two additional, and very important, points.
1. This vaccine only lasts for 5 years.
2. The manufacturer, Merck, who does admit to some “mild side effects” is the same company that knew, lied and covered up the fact that their drug Vioxx caused heart problems.
———–
This must be quite the conundrum for liberals. How to support the government stepping in and taking more control of our lives when it helps a large corporation?
Mattzilla / Squawkie:
Am I the only one who can’t open the link in the original post? I get a 404 Not Found error whenever I click the link.
Here’s what I don’t understand. If this “cancer” is contracted sexually, why are women the only ones receiving the vaccine? Just a thought. And, from what I understand. There have been no studies of this vaccination on children? And only limited (months) in women. Wow. And, doesn’t the word “mandate” by definition mean “command”?
#22 - I asked the very same question on yesterday’s blog on same subject.
#15 - your daughter can’t even catch HPV by walking into a room full of people with HPV. But Eric Pee doesn’t care. He is too busy carrying Rick Perry’s water.
Eric Pee:
That’s a large, steaming pile of bovine excrement.
You don’t have to have flu shots to be covered for the flu, you don’t have to have chicken pox shots to be covered for chicken pox, you don’t have to stop smoking or risk your coverage for lung cancer, etc. you don’t have to stop skateboarding to be able to see an orthopedic surgeon, and so on.
Your statements make no sense, and sadly, you don’t seem to realize how foolish you make yourself look, or perhaps you don’t care. Either way…
I have a question. Could be a dumb one. Who is Eric P. Johnson?
Dr. Zerwas may mean well but he is just flat wrong when he says: “it (HPV) does not present the same level of public health hazard as do the measles, mumps, rubella, and whooping cough. There is a reason why vaccines for these other illnesses are mandated: they are contagious diseases that can be transmitted by virtue of an infected child walking in a classroom and breathing.”
Perhaps the good doctor doesn’t know that mandatory childhood vaccination include Tetanus, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, none of which are caught in the classroom or are remotely contagious. He also does not understand the seriousness of HPV that kills 4700 people annually. Mumps, Measles, Rubella and Whooping Cough in 2002 killed a total of 19 people. HPV is a much more serious health risk. Governor’s Perry vaccination plan is excellent.