American Journal of Public Health
October 2010, Vol 100, No. 10 | American Journal of Public Health 1841-1844
© 2010 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.193060
Jason L. Schwartz, MBE, AM
Jason L. Schwartz is with the Center for Bioethics and Department of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Jason L. Schwartz, MBE, AM, Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Market Street, Suite 320, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (e-mail: jlschwa2@mail.med.upenn.edu). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the “Reprints/Eprints” link.
Developments regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines will transform HPV vaccination in the United States while simultaneously raising several new policy and ethical concerns.
Policymakers, vaccine manufacturers, and the public health community must now respond to the presence of competing vaccines that are similar but distinct, particularly with respect to genital wart prevention and the benefits of vaccinating males. This work arises in the shadow of the contentious introduction of the HPV vaccine Gardasil (Merck & Co, Inc, Whitehouse Station, NJ) in 2006, particularly the opposition to efforts in many states to require the vaccine for school attendance.
I review the current status of HPV vaccine policy in the United States and examine issues of public health ethics and policy central to ongoing and future HPV vaccination programs.
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