Cervical Cancer Vaccine Continues to Spark Debate

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"My concern is that HPV is a different kind of transmission than diseases we normally look at for mandating vaccines," Frenck said. "Diseases such as measles or chickenpox are transmitted by casual contact. With HPV, it's not a casual contact."

In addition, Frenck believes there will be significant economic consequences for states if the HPV vaccine is mandated. Pending bills that mandate the vaccine have provisions for the state to pay for immunization, he noted. That could turn out to be very expensive.

"Right now, the three-dose series is approximately $120 a dose -- that's $360 for the full series," he said. Without extra funds, the cost of the vaccine would strain already overburdened public health systems, he said.

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Another expert is also against mandating the vaccine, but this time for medical reasons.

"The vaccine is too new to be thinking about mandates," said Dr. Jon Abramson, a professor of infectious diseases at Wake Forest University Medical School and chairman of the CDC's immunization practices committee.

His committee doesn't consider recommending mandating a vaccine until it has been available for a long period of time, so that they can properly judge the demand, Abramson said. "We never discussed mandates, because it was way too early," he noted.

Because HPV is sexually transmitted, it also doesn't present the same risk as diseases that are transmitted by more casual contact, he added. "Most of the things we have mandates for are things that are high-risk in a school setting," Abramson said. "If someone walks into a school with measles, it's going to rapidly spread to those who aren't protected. Hopefully, you are at lower risk for HPV in school."

Money is also an issue. "I am very opposed to kids being kicked out of school, because parents can't afford the vaccine, and states can't pay for it," he said.

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