Beyond HPV Vaccine Pricing

Last year, many students left school dismayed that the price of the HPV vaccine Gardasil, which remained at the prohibitive cost of $154 per shot at Harvard University Health Services (UHS). We sure did. Last fall, the Harvard HPV Vaccine Awareness Campaign collected over 900 signatures in support of a Harvard-sponsored subsidy for the vaccine to make it more accessible to female students. After meeting with UHS officials, we felt certain that the doctors were committed to student health; yet, we feared that bureaucratic challenges within the Harvard institution would keep us from realizing the goal.

Nonetheless, we continued to advocate that students be educated about HPV and make an informed choice whether or not to get the vaccine. To judge how much our campus knew about human papillomavirus (HPV), we conducted a survey with undergraduates at the College. The most important conclusion from the study was that cost was by far the biggest barrier to vaccine uptake.

Imagine our delight when we returned to campus this fall to learn that UHS is offering Gardasil for $25 per shot for students with Harvard health insurance! We feel that this time UHS has truly listened to the needs of the students and acted swiftly to make this technology available to the campus. This step forward comes at a time when such a vaccine could truly make a positive public health difference here at Harvard.

A study published in February this year found that 44.8 percent of all women (sexually active and not) between the ages of 20 and 24 have contracted some form of HPV. Additionally, the occurrence of HPV is greatest in the first few years of sexual activity. College is a freer environment than the one most people grow up in, and therefore it is particularly important to educate people about sexual choices and habits at places like Harvard. While most cases of HPV are harmless and generally clear within two years, this now-cheaper vaccine protects against 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts. We understand that this vaccine is not right for everyone. At the same time, we encourage students to be proactive, do the research, and talk to their doctors to see if this vaccine is right for them.

While we are thrilled with the recent developments at UHS, we cannot help but feel like our work is not yet finished. Our survey last spring found that while 71 percent of Harvard women would happily talk with their friends about HPV and the vaccine, only 38 percent of females had talked with a female physician about it. 37 percent of women surveyed had never had a pap test. In fact, 26 percent of these women did not know where to go if they wanted to get one at Harvard. Pap tests help detect abnormalities early when they’re the most treatable and when they’re the least lethal. Combine the high rate of HPV among women our age with Harvard’s low pap test rate, and there is clearly a problem.

Even more alarmingly, only approximately 34 percent of Harvard men and 63 percent of Harvard women graduate having ever been tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Of course, one could easily argue that many people abstain from sex, and that would explain at least some of the numbers above. But given that 64 percent of respondents claimed that they were sexually experienced, the number of people who get tested for STDs is shockingly low. And if you do go to the doctor and get tested it is important to remember that a pap test is separate from a STD test.

As we continue our campaign throughout the academic year, we hope that students will engage in their health and learn about the best ways to protect themselves, whether they are sexually active or not. There are many confidential resources on campus that have information about safe sex—Peer Contraceptive Counselors, your doctor at UHS, and the complementary Harvard planner (check page 127!) are just some of them.

Whether you become sexually active during college or not is ultimately your personal decision, but the recent changes in the availability and affordability of Gardasil at UHS are a step in the right direction for improving options for both the sexually active and non-active members of our community. While we encourage all students to take advantage of the new lower-cost vaccine this year, make your sexual health a priority. Do the research and find out if it is right for you.



Katie E. Koopman ’08 is a psychology concentrator in Kirkland House. She and Annika L. Giesbrecht ’07 are the organizers of the HPV Vaccine Awareness Campaign.