The petition
Summary:
HPV is a very common sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, prevents 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. At present, many health insurances, including the Brown Health Insurance-Koster, will not cover the HPV vaccine for women over the age of 19. Therefore, we demand the health insurance companies used by Brown students to cover the entire vaccine, except the copay that would normally pay for most vaccines. We also request that insurance companies prepare to cover, in the same amount as women, the HPV vaccine when it becomes available for males in the future.
Further background:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus that is passed through genital contact. Approximately 6.2 million Americans contract HPV every year, and at least half of all sexually active people will catch HPV at some time in their lives. HPV is ordinarily seen in young women and men who are in their late teens and 20s. About 100 strains of HPV can infect the genital areas of men and women. Though some HPV types do not cause symptoms and will go away on their own, some types can lead to genital warts or cervical cancer and other less frequent genital cancers— including cancers of the anus, vagina, and vulva.
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