HPV finally being eradicated in developing countries

Cervical cancer is a huge problem for many people across the globe. The article states that 85% of all cervical cancer deaths (around 270,000) occur in the developing world. Cervical cancer is predominately caused by the HPV virus. The vaccine, Gardasil, was previously too expensive for many of these people. Now, due to a price drop by the company Merck, the vaccine is available to many more who need it. Guardasil is a quadravalent vaccine which protects against the 4 most serious strains of the HPV virus. This vaccine will help everyone affected and will help to severely cripple the HPV virus and hopefully eliminate cancers associated with this disease.


I found the price of the vaccine to be the most striking thing in this article. Normally going for around $100 a dose, it will be offered for around $4.50 to people in these developing countries. This is a phenomenal breakthrough which will have a pronounced effect on these peoples lives.