Sex Sells--Just Don't Talk About It

We have no trouble watching glamorous women suggestively stroking gleaming automobiles in television ads. So explain to me why doing something about a sexually transmitted disease that causes cancer is so controversial.

A new vaccine against the most dangerous strains of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)--which is the ultimate cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer--is now available and some states are making it mandatory for young girls. But the Washington Post and other news outlets are reporting resistance among parents.

Personally, I suspect the controversy is overblown--more of an anticipated threat than an actual one. Everyone told me they were bracing for demonstrations in the streets or at least a little outrage last summer when the new HPV vaccine was up for approval. It didn't happen. (Take note: journalists get fooled all the time.)

Meanwhile, there are lots of important issues about the new cervical cancer vaccine that are getting overlooked because of all the reporting on the controversy--things like whether boys should get the vaccine (maybe, further research is required), the fact that since the vaccine is not 100% protective, you still need to have a Pap smear and issues about cost.

Is this going to be another medical intervention that is more widely available to the relatively well-off of the world? Will cervical cancer, like AIDS before it, become a disease almost entirely of the poor and marginalized?

I've spent the past couple of weeks on this blog looking at how health is covered in the media. This is a reminder that what doesn't get covered is every bit as important--and sometimes (especially when it comes to sex scandals), even more so.