History of HPV
HPV (human papillomavirus) exists in more than 100 strains. About 30 strains are sexually transmitted, and 15 of the strains can cause cervical and other forms of cancer. In recent years, the HPV vaccine has generated political controversy in the United States.
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Rabbit Research Hints at HPV
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Details on when and how the first strain of HPV was discovered are sketchy, but the papillomavirus was first glimpsed as a disease by Dr. Richard Shope of Rockefeller University in the 1930s. A rabbit strain of papillomavirus often causes horn-like warts on infected rabbits. The cause of these warts weren't known at the time, but Shope experimented by taking samples of the warts, grinding them up and injecting them into healthy rabbits. The healthy rabbits soon developed the same warts. Shope didn't identify HPV, but he correctly deduced that the warts were caused by a virus.
HPV Discovery
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Scientists discovered HPV as a virus found inside of skin warts via an electron microscope in 1949. As the years rolled on, researchers discovered multiple strains in various lesions and growths.
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Blaming Herpes
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By the 1970s, doctors had recognized that some kind of sexually transmitted disease was causing cervical cancer. Doctors had noticed that women with cervical cancer also tended to have genital herpes. Although this was a coincidence, doctors blamed herpes.
Linking HPV to Cervical Cancer
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German virologist Harald zur Hausen proposed in 1976 that HPV, not herpes, was the cause of cervical cancer, a theory that other scientists originally rejected. In 1983 and 1984, zur Hausen discovered HPV DNA in cervical cancer tumors, proving his theory. In 2008, he received the Nobel Prize for this research.
Vaccine Controversy
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After zur Hausen established a link between HPV and cervical cancer, researchers across the world began researching vaccines for the two strains of HPV most commonly linked to the cancer. Pharmaceutical companies developed two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix. The U.S. Federal Drug Administration approved Gardasil in 2006 and Cervarix in 2009.
Because doctors recommend that young girls receive the vaccine before puberty, to guarantee immunity before they become sexually active, many parents and religious groups have objected to vaccination. They argue that giving young girls a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease is inappropriate and may encourage promiscuity.
Also, in a study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" (August 2009), Dr. Barbara Slade et al. found that a very small percentage of children who receive the vaccine experience fainting spells or blood clots.
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