Three shots at prevention : the HPV vaccine and the politics of medicine's simple solutions /

Immunizations are widely used to prevent many diseases, including diphtheria, measles, and polio. One of the most recently developed immunizations is for the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus associated with cervical, anal, and other cancers. In this edited book, various authors describe the controversies surrounding the introduction of the new HPV vaccine. When the vaccine was introduced in the US, many states debated whether or not they should mandate that all adolescent girls be vaccinated. Specifically, this book consists of 15 chapters, which are divided into four sections. The first section discusses what is known and unknown about the vaccine and the causes of cervical cancer. The second describes the problems of marketing the new vaccine to adolescent girls. The third addresses the various perceptions of risk concerning the vaccine and cancer, and the last section presents a discussion of how other countries (UK, Germany, and France) have introduced the new vaccine. This highly academic book is well written and well researched. It is a valuable addition to the fields of public health, public policy, and pharmaceutical marketing. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals/practitioners. R. M. Mullner University of Illinois at Chicago