Congressional Letter, Essay Example

I’m writing to express my dismay at the report received by your Committee, dated January 12, 2011, and presented to the 112th Congress Oversight Committees. Specifically I’m writing on the topic of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as it is discussed in the report. The report states the alleged dangers of various drugs used in a number of vaccines and how they have been tested. But, at least in the case of HPV, there is a far more important objection to be raised than its drug and testing procedures.

There is considerable evidence that there is actually no need for a HPV vaccine in the first place. One of the arguments for the massive HPV campaign for both boys and girls is the alleged evidence that HPV causes cervical cancer, anal cancer, and penile cancer. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s own website on HPV infection, “In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally within two years,” and “HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.” Yet “Each year, about 12,000 women get cervical cancer in the U.S.” It doesn’t mention that nearly all of those women are over the age of forty when they develop cancer. As for anal cancer, it “. . . is more common in [gay male] populations” and anal pap-testing is recommended only for them. As for penile cancer, it is virtually unknown in the U.S., being found in uncircumcised men living in countries with poor sanitation. HPV’s alleged role is still totally conjectural.