Mandate for vaccination 

Recently, there is a debate about the mandate to immunize young girls against viruses causing cervical cancer. Several reports came out in the right timing to find a wide infection of these HPV (Human Papilloma Viruses) in the population and its association with the formation of the cancer, and the successful medical trial of a vaccine developed by one pharmaceutical company and also the FAD's approval of the vaccine in around June, 2006.

The apparent common sense is that we should accelerate the use of this tool against the deadly disease killing so many woman a year. And, indeed, many States are planning to introduce laws to mandate the vaccination to all girls in their young age, that is around seven to twelve. As the virus is said to spread via sexual activities, the vaccination needs to be done before the girls have sex. Texas is leading the role in this time.

The dispute is that whether this needs to be a mandate and implemented under state or federal law.

I have no basic knowledge to add any discussion. But I have my gut feeling.

My gut and personal feeling is that do we need to immunize the whole population so quickly and guarantee it to be done by law. What if something is wrong with the vaccine? Imagine an alien species introducing a gene into the vaccine disenabling the reproductive capacity of the recipient to sterilize the human race . Isn't it a very good plot for a movie? On a more realistic front end, is the manufacturer ready to defend in case there are cases of very bad outcome.

No matter how good a medicine is, a certain portion of the population would respond differently!

March, 2007