Scientists have a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer:
Scientists are reporting today that they have created the first vaccine that appears able to prevent cervical cancer. The vaccine works by making people immune to a sexually transmitted virus that causes many cases of the disease.
The vaccine is experimental and will not be available to the public for several years.
They appear to have a working vaccine for one type of the virus which causes the majority of cervical cancer now, and will eventually produce a final vaccine that will add additional types, including the virus which causes genital warts (some of my information comes from this To The Point radio program, not the Times story).
This is great news given how widespread this virus is, but you should expect a rather interesting — and ugly — argument about this vaccine when it is released. The debate will likely become politicized because, like with condoms, the argument will be made that vacinating young adults simply encourages sexual behavior.
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