Recommendation: Addressing the Media

One area which needs to be addressed when thinking of a new policy for HPV (or sex education) in Canada is addressing the media.
The current “HPV information campaign” that has been introduced by Merck gives the impression that the Gardasil Vaccine presents ALL cervical cancer, and basically makes girls feel invincible. It instills fear in young women and their families, without even stating the true facts of the matter. If Merck were running a truly “educational” campaign, it would include that it is not only HPV that as a young women it is not only HPV that you need to be protected against, but rather, all types of sexually transmitted diseases; it would promote general sexual health. Merck’s Gardasil campaigns are clearly in the inestered for the company itself, rather than the health of young people across the country.
The way that Gardasil has been marketed has made it difficult for reflection between parents and children, health care providers and their clients as well as among the public and policy makers, about what HPV is and about the vaccination (CWHN).
A new policy would address this by instead, using the media to promote greater awareness of disease risk, safe sex, condom use, promote Pap tests, and would give the truth about HPV in relation to cervical cancer (more than is in the small print of Mercks current campaign).
The reality is that young women and men need to be educated on sexual health in general, and one way of doing this is using the media. As we can see from the success of Merck’s Gardasil campaign in promoting their vaccine across the county, the same effect could be had using the media to promost sexual health overall. Where are the ads encouraging young women to get Pap smears? Which can protect/identify more sexual health concerns than cervical cancer alone. Where are the ads promoting condom use? Which can prevent STIs and pregnancy. Instead of instilling fear about one STI alone, all aspects of sexual health need to be addressed in order for young women to be well informed across the board about sexual health issues.
It would be difficult to pull Merck’s commercials off the air, but if the government is willing to put aside $300 million for HPV vaccine, the government should be willing to set aside money to promote all aspects of health for young women.