Sexual hygiene is a lifestyle choice

My heart absolutely aches for the family of a 14 year girl who died yesterday shortly after receiving the HPV vaccine.

An urgent investigation is underway to see if there is any link between the death and the vaccine. At the moment there is no evidence that the two events are directly related.

The vaccine was given as part of a massive NHS campaign to protect girls from developing cervical cancer in later life. Other parents will be aware of this campaign and the issues it raises.

There is always a small risk that any vaccination can go wrong. Generally, provided there are stringent clinical governance procedures in place, these risks can be minimal. [Just a note here to declare an interest: I have worked professionally on campaigns to promote vaccination take up, though not on HPV]

The human papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted infection. There are over 100 viruses but only 13 of them are known to cause cancer. The others are harmless or cause genital warts. Each year about 1200 women in the England and Wales die from cervical cancer. The vaccination programme should cut that by 70% (Source: BBC).

Way back in the sixties both men and women were told that it was possible to have "risk free" sex. The invention of the contraceptive pill led to massive changes in sexual relationships. At my university there was a health centre policy to routinely offer the contraceptive pill to all women students.

The theory was that people were able to have multiple partners without the consequence of an "unwanted child" (what a vile phrase) and all that this entailed for both adult parties.

Perhaps we should have got the hint when infection rates of sexually transmitted infections started to rise year on year. The risk of pregancy had apparently decreased but there was an unpleasant sting in the tail.

Eventually it was recognised that the changes in sexual behaviour of the last century had led to a long term increase in cervical cancer. A similar pattern is emerging in oral health caused by the introduction of sexually transmitted viruses into the mouth, though few medical people are prepared to talk about it.

The boring and obvious conclusion is that the best way to remain safe from pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, AIDS and mouth cancer, is to have a radically different lifestyle from the one now lived by many young people.

The more partners an individual has, the greater the chance of accepting and transmitting infection. This is a mathematical certainty.

Yes we should applaud the HVP vaccination campaign but this should be alongside a campaign that promotes a lifestyle which minimizes physical and psychological risk.

The later the start, the fewer partners, the better for all.