It is my understanding that the immunity is not limited to 5 yrs.

no one has said yet, for sure, that a booster shot is needed. While there may later be proven need for a booster -- we just don't know yet. the only reason there is referernce to 5 yrs, is b/c the study has only been going on that long. we won't know if lifetime immunity is offered by the vaccine until it is studied. But, that is not the same as what you have posted here. please be more medically honest...se original studies and not the untrustworthy media --- it doens't help our cause

Re: original studies, from the same article:

Merck, which did not respond to repeated requests for its HPV incubation statistics, unexpectedly suspended its lobbying campaign yesterday.

And out of the mouth of Merck:

"We are doing further tests and follow-up. But right now, we know it is effective for five years," said Dr. Richard Haupt, executive director of medical affairs in Merck's vaccine division.

I have also run into a Merck roadblock. I called Merck five times last week to ask how much it contributed to Women in Government, the group it has acknowledged it channeled money through to push the HPV vaccine. Merck never called me back. My call to WiG resulted in an email from WiG punting to Merck.

There are many red flags here.

Posted by: Jill Stanek on March 3, 2007 11:27 AM

It's much easier to make vaccines for children mandatory, since it's already mandatory to attend school and you just don't allow them into school without a vaccine. Whereas waiting until they're 18 -- when it medically makes sense to vaccinate and the girl has an idea of whether she's going to be chaste or not -- it's harder to force it and thus you sell fewer vaccines.