HPV Vaccine Measure Is Sent to Full Council

The D.C. Council Committee on Health voted yesterday to send the full council a bill requiring pre-teen girls to be immunized against the virus that causes cervical cancer.

The three-dose vaccine to protect against the human papillomavirus (HPV) would have to be administered before a student enrolls in sixth grade, unless a parent or guardian chose to have the child opt out.

The committee agreed 3 to 1 to advance the bill. Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) was the only member to oppose the move. The bill's co-sponsor, committee chairman David A. Catania (I-At Large), was joined by Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) in voting yes.

Nationwide, lawmakers in nearly two dozen states have considered similar mandates amid divided public opinion. As elsewhere, there is controversy in the District over the measure. A group of protesters took to the steps of the John A. Wilson Building on Thursday to urge the council to delay action until the vaccine is used more widely.

"Parents must be heard," one demonstrator's sign read.

The HPV vaccine, named Gardasil by manufacturer Merck & Co., received federal approval in June. Although it is licensed for women as old as 26, health officials and organizations recommend routine administration for girls 11 and 12 to ensure that they are protected before becoming sexually active. The virus is transmitted through intimate contact, and clinical trials showed Gardasil was highly effective against two HPV strains that cause most of the country's 10,000 cervical cancer cases annually.

Some parents contend that legislative requirements undermine their authority over their daughters' health care. The D.C. proposal does not address any limitations on a child being exempted, stipulating only that there must be a provision allowing a parent or guardian to keep a girl younger than 13 from being vaccinated.

That opt-out clause may be a critical factor for council members such as Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who has 10-year-old daughters. The vaccine is so new, he noted yesterday. "What are the long-term ramifications of taking it?"

He sympathizes with the protesters: "When you have two daughters and you're faced with this without a lot of information, you have to be concerned."