The US government has declared that all female immigrants must be treated with Gardasil, a controversial vaccine against the human papillomavirus which causes most cervical cancers. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, immigration advocates are upset because this adds to the already hefty cost of migrating. The ruling flows from a 1996 law which stipulates that any vaccination recommended by the government for citizens is mandatory for green-card applicants.

"We don't want someone coming into the US who hasn't been vaccinated against measles or chickenpox," said Dr Jon Abramson, a member of the board of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel which recommended the vaccine last year. "[But] HPV can only be communicated by sexual contact... This is not something that endangers kids in a school setting or puts your population at risk."

The vaccine sparked controversy because many parents felt that it might remove a barrier to sexual promiscuity. It has generated more than US$1 billion in sales for its manufacturer, Merck. However the company denied that it had lobbied to include Gardasil on the list of vaccines for immigrants. ~ Wall Street Journal, Oct 1