Inoculation Hesitations: Efforts to Understand & Overcome the Pitfalls of HPV Politics

Abstract

Released for public use in the summer of 2006, Gardasil, America™s first HPV vaccine, entered the hearts and minds of the American people without delay. With a growing base of awareness to the dangers and prevalence of HPV infection amongst the population, this novel prophylactic held the promise of saving lives. Yet, despite the proven efficacy and public health benefits, Gardasil became mired in controversy and faced public rejection. Ever since making a divisive first impression, HPV vaccines have failed to be effectively utilized. The goal of this thesis is to answer the question: Why are HPV vaccines so underutilized in the United States?

The first task is to understand how the vaccine was introduced to the American people and what perception this produced. Through an analysis of marketing and political strategies, the vaccine™s cultural construction can be determined. The second task is to understand how vaccine initiatives have been installed and evaluated following public conceptualization. Finally, through these efforts, I will propose my own ideal approach that synthesizes the material and properly contextualizes it.