Besides a cold here and there, a routine wellness visit or an immunization, Sara Eckert doesn't see the doctor any more than any other normal 2-year-old.
Her mom, Elicia, hopes it stays that way, but knows bigger decisions about her daughter's health are down the road.
“I’m happy that it's there for the future, putting it in the back of my mind. I don't have to worry about it for a few years,” Eckert said.
Specifically, she is talking about Gardasil, the vaccine that protects young women from the sexually transmitted disease called the human papilloma virus, or HPV.
Pediatricians say it is available for girls older than nine and women younger than twenty-six. The drug can provide a 70-percent decrease in cervical cancer for young ladies.
Since the FDA approved the vaccine in 2006, doctors have administered millions of doses, even with controversy over side effects.
"It's too early to mandate this vaccine because the long term effects, they don't know what it is,” independent medical researcher Cynthia Janak said.
While it's not mandated, Gardasil is strongly recommended. But, it is a parent’s prerogative.
For some parents, unfortunately, it comes down to money. One dose of Gardasil will cost you $200. You need three doses for the vaccine, so that's $600. Something many insurance companies won't cover.
“When you're talking about 70-percent of cervical cancers and 90-percent of genital warts, that's a big thing,” pediatrician Dr. John Barbara said of benefits of the drug.
That is why state lawmakers are considering house bill 357, which would require health insurance coverage of the vaccine.
“What do they say? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? I hope in seven years, the insurance companies, they've all gotten on board because we'll definitely do it,” Eckert said.
For most parents, there is no putting a price on saving a life.
