As almost everyone more sentient than a pillow must now know, a federal advisory panel recommended that all boys be vaccinated against human papilloma virus. Thus the government recommends that, over time, the entire US population be immunized against this threat. I’ll have a detailed presentation up about this and a related topic before long. But for now consider what the government is advising.

The cost of the vaccine and its administration runs to more than $500 a subject. If we did what the government says we should, do all 310 million of us will get the drug. Of course it will take a while to happen but 310 million times $500 is more than $150 billion. All this for what is a very modest threat to the nation’s health. On a list of the nation’s ills HPV would not make the first page even if the font were small.

Cervical cancer which is caused by HPV has officially been declared a rare disease by the NIH.

2011 Estimate
New cases: 12,710
Deaths: 4,290

Go here to read more about the disease (cervical cancer). But don’t worry, if we can get the insurance companies to pay for the vaccine it will be free.

Why do things like this happen all the time  – not just in medicine, but in every facet of endeavor? It’s because the panelists know a lot about their subject, HPV in this case, but are otherwise clueless. Advanced society is like a gargantuan animal without a brain. No one is in charge. The panelists doubtless believed that their advisory would force insurance companies to pay for the vaccine thus rendering the treatment free.