At some point, 50 percent of all sexually active men and women will get Human Papiloma Virus, or HPV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This makes HPV, which can cause genital warts and lead to cervical cancer, the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is also one of the most preventable, with a new vaccine promising significant protection. Many say the vaccination should become mandatory for young women reaching sexual maturity. The question is, can the government force people to get vaccinated?

Hoping to start discussions and raise awareness about the virus, Ohio Public Interest Research Group’s Sexual Health Campaign facilitated a faculty discussion on Monday, May 7, followed by an informal workshop on Tuesday.

The forum leaders explained that HPV is a sexually transmitted infection, spread by skin-to-skin contact in the genital areas.

“There are 100 different strains of it and about 30 to 40 of those strands are sexually transmitted,” explained Abbe Schriber, a College sophomore who works for the Sexual Health Campaign and the Sexual Information Center. “Some strains can produce genital warts, some strains can produce cervical cancer and some can do nothing. The vast majority of cases are asymptomatic.”

The American Cancer Society estimates that 11,150 people in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007 and 3670 women will die from the disease. However, the new vaccine for women promises to lower the incidence of HPV significantly.

“It turns out, according to the [Center for Disease Control], that 70 percent of the [strains] that can lead to cervical cancer and 90 percent of the [strains] that lead to genital warts are affected by the vaccine,” said Tim Hall, a philosophy professor who spoke at the event.

Schriber added, “It protects against four strands of HPV. Two of them are the highest causers of cervical cancer and two are the highest causers of genital warts.”

“It’s a series of three shots,” she continued, adding that the vaccine has minimal side effects.

One downside of the drug is its cost. “At Student Health, it’s $150 per shot,” explained Schriber.

The cost of the vaccine is one of the main forces behind a developing movement to make vaccination mandatory for preteen children. Mandating the vaccine would force insurance companies to pay for it, exempting people if they don’t qualify for government aid from the high cost of the shots.

“The expense of it is probably the main reason why I would support a mandatory vaccine,” said Schriber.

However, others are concerned that a mandated vaccine would reach too far into people’s personal lives. “Some people are going to object just because they don’t want to have their bodies invaded,” said Hall. “People ought to have the right to say no.”

In fact, according to Hall, many states are giving people that right. “Most of the states that are now considering legislation regarding this vaccine are now including a clause allowing families to opt out of the vaccine,” he said. Hall said that even with this right, mandating policy was a necessary subject for discussion.

 “Parents might reasonably believe that vaccination would encourage sexual activity in adolescents,” wrote Hall in a handout distributed at the faculty discussion. He said that parents might see vaccinating their young daughters against a sexually transmitted infection as giving them permission to have sex.

Hall also argued that, with tests available to detect and prevent cervical cancer early on, the public health risk was not significant enough to merit forcing parents to get their children vaccinated.

 “Cervical cancer is one of the few types of cancer that if you catch it really early you can do something about it,” agreed Katie MacBride, a College senior who works for the Sexual Information Center. She emphasized that Pap smears, which test for changes in the cells of the cervix, must be done often.

“From a public health perspective, mandatory vaccines would reach the segment of the population least likely to get PAP smears,” explained Robin Salter, a biology professor who spoke at Monday’s discussion. “By making it mandatory they get people of that age group into the doctor’s office when otherwise they might not.”

Maria Landi, a College junior and organizer of the faculty discussion, said she is glad to see students involved in events like the forum and the faculty discussion.

“It was nice to have a whole bunch of people asking questions and they seemed really interested,” she said of the discussion.