Vaccine protects women from cervical cancer

*This news article was published November 2006 in The Blue and Gold, a community-based newspaper for Centralia College.



The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new vaccine that will fight cervical cancer for women worldwide.

The vaccine is designed to protect girls and women from four potentially dangerous strands of the human papillomavirus. These four strands cause 70 percent of all cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

Gardasil, the name of the vaccine, is licensed for the use of females ages 9 to 26. Gardasil is administrated through a series of three shots over a six-month period.

Although further research is needed, current studies indicate the vaccine's protection can last up to five years.

The vaccine is most effective as a preventive measure for young females who are not yet sexually active. The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the vaccine for girls ages 11 and 12.

Older, sexually active females can also benefit from the vaccine. But the vaccine is weakened if they have already acquired one or more of the four types of HPV the vaccine covers, reports the national Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

HPV is a highly common virus transmitted by both men and women through genital contact. At least 50 percent of all sexually active people carry the virus as some point in their lives.

More than one hundred variants of the virus have been discovered, and about 40 types can infect the genital areas of men and women. In most types, people experience no symptoms and eventually the virus leaves the body.

Some strands of the virus can infect a woman's cervix and trigger a change is cell makeup. If infection persists and no treatment in sought, these abnormal cells gradually develop into cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2006 almost 10,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, while another 3,700 will die of the disease.

Because the vaccine cannot fully protect women from cervical cancer, it is important women continue to receive routine Pap tests.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, the capability of condoms to protect against HPV is uncertain, because the virus can pass from one person to another from any exposed genital area.

Only abstinence can fully protect people from HPV and its possible repercussions.

Michele Perrin, communications manager for the Washington State Department of Health, said many agencies are seeking ways to make the vaccine affordable and accessible.

During the next legislative season, the state Department of Health plans to ask for money to provide free immunization shots for females under the age of 19, Perrin said.

And as time progresses, more health insurance plans may cover the vaccine's series of shots that normally sell at a total retail price of $360.

"We encourage those who are interested in the vaccine to check their health plans and see if it's covered," Perrin said.

But the future is unclear if uninsured women age 19 or older will find financial access to the vaccine. Merck, the company that developed Gardasil, wants to create a patient assistance program to help women ages 19-26 get vaccinated, Perrin said.

A lot of media buzz has circulated around the issue of vaccinating pubescent girls. Some people think vaccinating young girls will encourage sexual promiscuity.

Perrin advises parents to seek out accurate information before they make decisions that will affect the future of their daughters' health.

"Families need to talk to their children about responsible sexual behavior, and the vaccine should be a part of that comprehensive conversation," Perrin said.

While their is great hope for the vaccine and how it will change the health of women, it will take 10 or 20 years to see and impact, Perrin said, because cervical cancer develops so slowly.

Globally, the new vaccine can help diminish the number of women who die from cervical cancer.

According to the Public Library of Science, each year nearly 500,00 women around the world are diagnosed with cervical caner and more than 250,00 die from the disease.

An overwhelming majority of these deaths take place in developing nations where there are no routine precancer screening programs.