By Kayla Walker

Protecting yourself from the most common sexually transmitted infection is as easy as talking to your doctor. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has estimated that at least 50 percent of sexually active people will get human papillomavirus (HPV) at some time in their life and the majority will not know it because there are often no symptoms.

HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer, which the American Cancer Association estimates say kills around 3,000 women a year, and can cause penile cancer in men. The infection is also responsible for 90 percent of all genital warts cases. The virus is most common in young people who are in their late teens and early 20s. However, there is a vaccine available for women between the ages of 9 and 26.

After seeing commercials for Merck’s Gardasil, the only vaccination currently available, and reading about the vaccine in different publications I decided to schedule an appointment to discuss the issue with my doctor. After a 30 minute conversation with her I scheduled an appointment for the following week with her medical assistant to begin the vaccine process. I was still weary of the whole thing until the medical assistant told me her 12 and 14-year-old daughters had had the vaccine the week before. She told me she felt the HPV vaccine was just as important for her daughters as a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

That’s when I asked myself why schools don’t require students to complete the HPV vaccine like they do for measles, mumps and rubella, as well as types of meningitis. If this vaccine really does save lives then why isn’t it required in a college campus where the majority of the population is sexually active and may be practicing unprotected sex?

The week between my initial doctor visit and the first installation of the vaccine (which is injected three times over the course of six months) I did as much research as I could about HPV and the vaccine.

I learned that HPV has over 100 types and the vaccine only protects against four types (6, 11, 16 and 18), including two that cause almost 70 percent of cervical cancer cases in women. These are the four most dangerous and common types of HPV. I learned that states like Illinois and Virginia (as well as other states) are currently working on legislation to make the HPV vaccination a requirement for girls age 11 to 12.

Texas passed its legislation last Friday, requiring that girls in sixth grade get the vaccine. I also learned that although the vaccine wouldn’t protect you from types of HPV if you’d already been exposed to them, it is still recommended. Most surprisingly, what I learned was that the vaccine has been tested in men and most certainly will be approved by the FDA.

The study, which was done at the Medical College of Georgia, found that the vaccine will protect men between ages 16 and 23 from genital warts and penile cancer. Although penile cancer is rare (found in only 1 percent of the population) genital warts is not. The study cited that men have around an 80 percent lifetime risk of contracting genital warts.I felt much more knowledgeable when I returned to my doctor, where we talked about the recent study in men. My doctor told me that the men’s vaccine would be approved by the FDA “any day,” and to spread the news to all my guy friends.

After being injected in the arm, which was a little painful, I scheduled my next injection for two months later during spring break. The vaccine was covered completely by my health insurance and after a little digging I’ve discovered that most health care providers cover all, if not most, of the cost.

Again I asked myself, “If it’s so easy and affordable, why isn’t it a bigger priority on college campuses?” The answer is that it is, just not everywhere. The University of Virginia offered free vaccinations for their female students at the beginning of the academic year.

University of Maryland’s health center has the vaccine available, and Cornell University recommends it to their female students. The vaccination is available at Hofstra’s Wellness Center but is not often taken advantage of because of the high cost of the medication, which costs $360 for the full series. Surely once the FDA approves the vaccine in men it will become an even bigger presence on college campuses.

Later in the day after I received the vaccine my brother asked what I’d been up to. I told him about getting the HPV vaccine and about the study being done on the effectiveness in men. My brother received a B.S. in molecular biology last year and has contemplated working for the CDC, so I was surprised that he hadn’t heard that the vaccine should soon be available for men.

I suppose that’s the only thing keeping the vaccine from becoming mandatory; it’s generally not something people know about. However, perhaps the administration at Hofstra should look at other college campuses and provide the vaccine for free or make it one of the requirements for enrollment. At the very least it should educate students about HPV and how a vaccine is available at the health center. It could save lives and at least help prevent the spread of HPV among students.

Kayla Walker is a senior print journalism student. You may e-mail her at [email protected].