HPV and CA

The HPV Vaccine and California
By Kevin Yuan


Genital human papilloma virus, also called HPV, is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection, especially in the United States. There are more than a hundred strains of the virus, where less than half cause some form of genital infection, or something far worse, such as cervical cancer. In the span of 5 years, initial results suggest the vaccine has been found to prevent nearly 100 percent of precancerous cervical cells that would have been cause by two specific HPV strains (16&18). For some time, California has considered requiring the vaccine.  Vaccine but noting the success of the vaccine based on voluntary terms, California should not mandate or require young girls to have the HPV vaccine before entering middle school. Instead, it should only be a recommendation for this vaccine.


Despite the initial minor side effects associated with the vaccine, it is still too new to discount possible adverse side-effects in a 10 or even 20 year span. Ultimately, guardians of those young girls should make the decision themselves, after researching the benefits and consequences associated with the vaccine. Guardians can make an educated decision as to whether or not to have the vaccination for their children.


Even though cervical cancer is a serious issue, the HPV vaccine is extremely expensive. When we look at the different types of cancers in the United States, cervical cancer accounts for about 0.006 percent and the annual incidence count in California is only 1,488 according to the National Cancer Institute from time period 2004-2008. In addition, as of now, there are already effective treatments and screenings for cervical cancer. When a mandate is in order, things have to go into motion, and insurance companies will have to cover it in the states. Health care money is then prioritized in this one specific area, even though resources are limited. According to LA Times on March 16, 2010, nearly 1 out of 4 people in California under the age of 65 lack health insurance, and mandatory measures for this vaccine will shift already limited health care dollars towards only one asset involving HPV infections. Resources have to go into low socioeconomic areas where people are having trouble even having access to care, and getting better delivery of health where they could get screened and covering for not only cervical cancer but also a variety of health issues.


Although many advocates who wish to require the HPV vaccine by law may argue it will achieve widespread protection of the disease, we have to look at people’s liberty concerns. Understandably, universal protection is ideal but forcing little girls to have a government injection through a junction such as an executive order is wrong. The NPR reported on September 11, 2011 that the executive order mandating the HPV vaccine in Texas was overturned. Even Governor Rick Perry considers his decision a mistake and confers that “If I had to do it over again, I would have done it differently.” The fact that this law was proposed infringes on the people’s rights to make their own decisions. This is a liberty that cannot be overlooked despite the universal protection the vaccine might offer. However, the law was overturned, showing that the concern for the individual’s rights remains.

In conclusion, the HPV vaccine represents a significant breakthrough for women’s health. But, required immunization in California is a gesture that is unreasonable given the premature state of the vaccine, the decisions guardians have over their children and also the strain it will have on health care dollars. Instead, the vaccine should be available for those who want to be the vaccinated.

Housing and Homelessness: A Call for Public Health Action

By Marvin So

As Berkeley students, it’s easy to go about our daily lives rife with midterms, clubs, exercise, and maybe even social activities, and ignore the ubiquitous homeless individuals occupying the curbs and nooks of Telegraph. There are about 280 chronically homeless individuals living in Berkeley on any given night, along with 680 others who live in  streets, shelters, or transitional housing programs. Furthermore, due to the recent economic downturn, the Berkeley population of people living in temporary situations or close to being evicted has increased ten-fold. Much has been done by the City of Berkeley to support these individuals in accessing services and developing self-sufficiency, though it is by far insufficient to account for all people in the area experiencing homelessness.

The prevalence of homelessness in Berkeley provides an excellent illustration that there is not enough being done to mobilize action in light of an array of complex factors including income inequality, reduced government support for the poor, and decreased affordable housing units all over the country.

Examining homelessness from a public health perspective, a question of temporality arises. Does poor health contribute to being homeless, or does homelessness moreso contribute to ill health outcomes? Understanding the health issues of the homeless is a vastly important issue to consider, as reduced funds towards emergency departments means greatly reduced emergency care access for low-income individuals. Moreover, since low-income communities are more likely to require emergency care, trauma closures act to further exacerbate inequalities in health among the very poor.

Common health issues among homeless communities can include mental health problems, substance abuse problems, bronchitis/pneumonia, and skin infections. Conversely, a serious illness or debilitating disease can trigger a downward spiral from losing one’s job, to deterioration of savings to pay for treatment, and eventual eviction. Lack of access to affordable care results in minor issues turning into major disabilities; in turn, the tax burden of lack of access to care for these individuals is greater than if they were to receive primary or preventive services earlier on. This is the philosophy that operates many community-based clinics and organizations aiming to act as a safety net for people who cannot access services due to economic barriers.

Addressing homelessness offers public health professionals a key opportunity to address an enormous social determinant of health – lack of safe, adequate housing. If we can work, through service, advocacy, and policy to slowly erode the discrimination and barriers imposed upon the homeless, we can make impactful change towards more equitable health outcomes for all communities.

If you’re interested in learning more about homelessness, poverty, and social justice, UC Berkeley provides a variety of opportunities to do just that. Check out the following resources and find a program or organization that you like – it’s going to take an enormous effort to begin to solve a problem as multifactorial as homelessness. What better place to mobilize this grassroots movement at Cal, the mecca of impassioned students acting for social change? With this information, what will you do to make a difference in the community?

1. Cal Corps Public Service Center, publicservice.berkeley.edu
2. The Suitcase Clinic, suitcaseclinic.org
3. The Berkeley Free Clinic,
4. Cal Habitat for Humanity, habitat.berkeley.edu

PHA Goes Green!

UC Berkeley offers a certification program to encourage student organizations to be environmentally friendly.  The program consists of a training program, requirements and certification.  PHA decided to go green and successfully completed the program and requirements.

The certification program suggests strategies for being smart when it comes to the environmental impact a campus group may have.  In addition to reviewing the basics of recycling e.g. what types of plastics and papers can be recycled and what cannot, the program suggests strategies for club and event promotion that does not requirement paper flyers.

PHA felt it was necessary to seek certification because the health of the environment is inextricably linked to public health for many reasons.  First, the quality of the environment determines what populations are exposed to.  many negative health outcomes can be explained by exposure to toxic environments, whether that be occupational or residential.  Second, in order for the health of populations to prosper we need a sustainable habitat that can produce nutritious foods.  Promoting and protecting the health of our environment is a pre-requisite to promoting and protecting public health.

If you are a student organization at UC Berkeley, consider getting certified!  Making campus organizations environmentally savvy will have an important impact on our coal environment and the campus's environmental footprint.

For more information about how to make your club green, click here