Vaccination against cervical cancer should be free for everyone

Vaccination against cervical cancer has lately attracted considerable attention. This vaccination is used in more than one hundred countries. In Japan, this vaccination was approved in October 2009, and people could be vaccinated against cervical cancer from 22th December, 2009. However this vaccination is not an object of medical insurance and public assistance excluding some cities, towns and villages. Vaccination against cervical cancer should be free for everyone because young women are susceptible to cervical cancer, cervical cancer is preventable by vaccination, and the price of vaccination against cervical cancer is too expensive.
First, young women are susceptible to cervical cancer. According to “Gan wa vaccine de yobou dekiru zidai e”, in Japan, 15000 people got cervical cancer, and 3500 people died from this disease a year. Also the disease rate rapidly increases from twenties to thirties (4). If people could not find the cancer an early stage, they may have to remove their uterus which means they cannot have a baby. It is very serious problem for the women.
Second, cervical cancer is preventable. Usually cancer can’t prevent, but cervical cancer can prevent by vaccine. According to the website of National Cancer Institute “Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.”(1). Vaccine of cervical cancer prevents contagion of HPV. HPV spreads by sexual act, so people must vaccinate before their first sexual act.
Third, the price of vaccination against cervical cancer is too expensive. People must vaccinate the vaccination against cervical cancer three times. It cost about 17000 yen per one shot, so total cost is about 51000 yen. Most people doesn’t vaccinate because of the very high price.
Cancer is very terrible disease. One of the reasons of terror of this disease is that there is no prevention for this disease, but cervical cancer is an exception. Cervical cancer has vaccine, but it cost too much, so most people don’t vaccinate it. This vaccination should be free for woman.



“Cervical Cancer” National Cancer Institute Accessed 16 June 2010
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/cervical
“Gan wa vaccine de yobou dekiru zidai e”
GlaxoSmithKline Cervical Vaccine Information 2010
“Zibun de mamorou. Zibun no karada.”
GlaxoSmithKline Cervical Vaccine Information 2009