There's a shocking new ad shaming parents for not giving their children this unpopular vaccine

"Maybe they didn't know I would end up with cancer because of HPV," a man says, as pictures of him as a pre-teen boy flash across the screen. "Maybe if they'd known there was a vaccine to help protect me when I was 11 or 12."

"Maybe my parents just didn't know, right Mom? Dad?"

It's a new ad for Gardasil, the HPV - or human papillomavirus - vaccine made by Merck. And it's taking an obviously daring approach to try and win a public health campaign that Merck has struggled with since the drug was developed in 2006.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US, according to the CDC. It's responsible for nearly all cases of cervical cancer, of which there are about 12,000 in the US every year, and it's been linked to other forms of cancer as well.

The CDC recommends the vaccine, as the commercial states, 11-12 year-old boys and girls.

Even so, the vaccine's had a hard time catching on. Because HPV is sexually transmitted, some parents tend to worry that if their kids get the vaccine they'll feel as if it's acceptable to have sex. 

To counter that, Merck, has been running direct-to-consumer ads aimed at educating the public about what HPV is and what it can do, though it doesn't name the vaccine by name. The ad has been airing nationally as well as on Hulu.

"Our latest campaign is a continuation of our work to help educate about certain HPV related diseases," a Merck spokeswoman told Business Insider via email. "Our goal is for parents and caregivers to be informed about HPV and its potential consequences and the CDC recommendations for HPV vaccination, and to be empowered to talk with their children's health care professional to learn more."

A newer version of the vaccine called Gardasil 9 was approved in 2014. It covers nine HPV serotypes, or variation within a virus, compared to earlier versions that only protected against 2 or 4 serotypes. According to an April 2016 study, Gardasil 9 decreases cancer incidence by 73% (compared to the 63% reduction by the 2- and 4-serotype versions), while it decreases mortality by 49% (compared to 43%).

However, Merck said, there seems to be a gap in understanding how well the vaccine works.

"In a 2015 internet survey conducted by Merck, many parents were unaware of the link between HPV and certain cancers. In fact, in the survey of 858 parents, about 85% were familiar with HPV, but only about 50% knew about the link between the virus and cancer," the spokeswoman said.

But the approach has drawn some negative responses from viewers.

Others are getting the guilty vibes from the commercial. 

 

 Watch the full commercial: