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Threats to HPVs do more harm than good, writes Dr. Jess Berentson-Shaw
I hate cervical smear, I really do. I look forward to the day when I will no longer have to endure this particularly painful and painful part of owning a cervix of the uterus. I really mean that there are really few less fun things in the world. I will not continue (but I could really do it). Let 's just say that I know that those of you with a cervix are thinking about "fucking huh".
I hope that by the time my daughter will be my age, HPV – the leading cancer virus of the cervix and uterine cervix and head and neck cancers and genital warts ( such a shitty word) – will be gone. Poof, erased by the magic that is science and the people who act together in a beautiful harmony. I would like there to be chopsticks in play, and maybe also magic fireworks. And there absolutely should be a soundtrack, maybe The Magician's Apprentice ?
It would be wonderful if all our children lived in a world where HPV did not exist. And it's totally possible! We are wavering a little while arriving there.
As parents, caregivers, grandparents, we want to wrap our children in love and do our best for them. Sometimes we fall, but we try. Vaccination is one of those areas where we are afraid or hesitant. We worry about what we heard from a Facebook group or a friend about the side effects of vaccination. In the case of HPV, we may even think that we can control their sexual behavior by avoiding the vaccine. Because who wants their children to grow up too fast? But fear is not a useful thing when we talk about vaccination.
Fear makes us a very special thing as human beings: it makes us back away and seeks the simplest and simplest solution. There is an evolutionary reason for this. When you run from a saber-toothed tiger your brain just needs to steer your body to get away in a tree, do not stop and think of smarter ways to run. Fear prevents us from seeing the wonderful benefits of being protected from the HPV virus. This prevents us from seeing the right evidence. Proof that HPV is effective, safe and an act of love.
So, if parents are afraid or hesitant, how can we overcome that? First, threatening or punishing parents will certainly not help anyone to see the benefits of vaccination. This may have short-term impacts on some people, but overall, it will not change behavior. It is certainly not going to build a relationship of trust and trust between people. We could get a vaccine from one person now, but how will they talk to others? How will they see it in the future? What happens when the next media storm is linked to fear? Any change in behavior that we cause on the basis of fear or money will eventually cause harm in many other areas where it is very important to build trust between people and evidence.
Talking about the language of trust
suggests that researchers, scientists, health professionals and other parents must do to help people see that HPV is something we can absolutely to occupy ourselves to build trust by talking about what we have in common. Do not threaten, force, insult or degrade. Instead, let's talk about the larger picture of what we all love for our children and what we value as a society.
Did you know that when we offer a vaccination only 4% of New Zealanders decline? We do not need to be forced, we trust that vaccinations consist of taking care of ourselves and others. We are also resistant enough to vaccination campaigns based on fear. That's why it's so disappointing that some schools do not offer HPV vaccination – they do not reflect the way most New Zealanders think they care for children.
Young people and their parents are denied the best opportunity to be healthy, with some schools deciding not to offer the vaccination program. Providing it in schools is an essential way to improve access for people – busy parents, busy lives mean that he gives up the to-do list. It also helps children least likely to afford and access a general practitioner. It shows a commitment to give a choice to all the children in our community, not just to some.
Schools Must Show Leadership
Congratulations to schools that are already showing leadership on this issue. For others, they can show the care they have for children in their communities and start offering HPV vaccination. Give them the opportunity to live a healthy life without cancer of the cervix of the uterus.
If your school does not offer HPV vaccines, ask them to do so. Not just for the sake of your child but for all the children we have collectively responsible for.
Dr. Jess Berentson-Shaw is Co-Director of Collaborative Research The Workshop. Jess researches and communicates about values and science, and has just written a book on the subject A Matter of Fact . She has two children fully vaccinated.
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