HPV legislation in Washington

Women in Government Ratings

Women in Government, a non-profit network of state level women legislators, receives significant funding from the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Digene Corporation -- all with products related to HPV vaccination and testing. According to their report, "The 'State' of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America - 2008" :

POPULATION: 6,395,798

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 6.8/100,000 (2 / 2)
• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 6.8, Black: 7.4, Hispanic: 14.6, Asian/Pacific Islander: 7.7
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 3.0/100,000 (2 / 2)
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 1.6, Black: 3.8, Asian/Pacific Islander: 3.4

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 84% (1 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 84.2%, Black: 82.6%, Hispanic: 88.3%, Asian/Pacific Islander: 79.2%, American Indian/Alaskan: 89.4%
• % Uninsured/Unscreened: 27.2% (1 / 1)
• Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Rate Uninsured Women: 16% (1 / 1)
• % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 33%

Policy Initiatives and Infrastructure (2008 Score / Cumulative Score (2005–2008)

Screening Requirements (0 / 0)

• There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 0)

• There is no new cervical cancer prevention task force legislation.

Access to HPV Vaccines (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine activity.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (2 / 2)

• HB 1802 requires every public school in the state to provide parents/guardians of 6th grade girls with information about HPV and the HPV vaccine, including current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the receipt of HPV vaccines and where the vaccination can be received; signed by Gov. Gregoire.

Miscellaneous (0 / 2)

• There is no new miscellaneous cervical cancer prevention activity.

Additional Notes

• The Legislature approved $10 million to provide vaccinations for 94,000 low-income girls over the next two years.

Annual Ratings

• 2008: Good (13 out of 22 points)
• 2007: Very Good (11 out of 18 points)

Articles and resources

SourceWatch Resources

• Gardasil
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Merck
• Women in Government
• Edelman
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Australia
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Canada
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Europe
• The Marketing of Gardasil in New Zealand
• The Marketing of Gardasil in the United States
• Direct-to-consumer advertising
• Disease Mongering
• Drug industry

External links

• Judith Siers-Poisson, The Politics and PR of Cervical Cancer, a four part series, PRWatch.org, July, 2007.