Vaccinate us against this moron

The medical community issued swift criticism Tuesday after Rep. Michele Bachmann dragged the safety of the vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) into the political spotlight, reigniting the controversy over the risks and necessity of vaccinating children.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics would like to correct false statements made in the Republican presidential campaign that HPV vaccine is dangerous and can cause mental retardation," the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "There is absolutely no scientific validity to this statement. Since the vaccine has been introduced, more than 35 million doses have been administered, and it has an excellent safety record."  (source)

HPV infection is extremely common — the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. More than a quarter of girls and women ages 14 to 49 have been infected, with the highest rate, 44 percent, in those ages 20 to 24.

Millions of new infections occur each year, and researchers think that at least half of all adults have been infected at some point in their lives. The genital region is teeming with HPV, and any kind of intimate contact — not just intercourse — can transmit the virus. In most people, HPV is harmless: The immune system fights it off. But in some people, for unknown reasons, the viruses persist and can cause cancer.

Remark on Vaccine Could Ripple for Years: How Many Women Will Michele Bachmann Kill?

So if the vaccine prevents HPV, and HPV causes cervical cancer, and Bachmann's uninformed/unprincipled attack on "Perrycare" has prevented some parents from vaccinating their daughters, then Bachmann, at least indirectly, will be responsible for God knows how many deaths when a small percentage of these unvaccinated girls (or their partners) eventually die from an otherwise preventable cancer.