HPV legislation in District of Columbia

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: 853,476

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 13.3/100,000 (0 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 8.1 , Black: 12.4
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 3.7/100,000 (1 / 0)
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 1.3 , Black: 4.8

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 89.4% (2 / 2)
• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 90.8%, Black: 88.9%, Hispanic: 86.9%
• % Uninsured/Unscreened: 29.2% (1 / 1)
• Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Rate Uninsured Women: 12% (1 / 1)
• % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 20%

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

Screening Requirements (0 / 1)

• There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 0)

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

Access to HPV Vaccines (2 / 2)

• The DC City Council passed a measure to establish an HPV vaccination program for 6th grade girls in 2009; Mayor Fenty signed the measure but it requires congressional approval to be finalized.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (0 / 0)

• There is no new miscellaneous cervical cancer prevention activity.

Additional Notes

• The District of Columbia passed a mandatory vaccination program but postponed the launch until fall 2009; it will launch a public education campaign in the meantime.

Annual Ratings

• 2008: Fair (10 out of 22 points)
• 2007: Fair (8 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.