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The HPV Vaccine

A Shot Against Cervical Cancer

By Kelly Burgess

Because HPV is spread primarily through genital contact it's considered a sexually transmitted disease, which has led to some controversy about this vaccine. Conservative Christian groups contend that it will promote promiscuity, in effect telling girls it's OK to have sex. Cynthia Dailard, senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, says this should be viewed not as a morals issue but as a public health issue. "We can not predict who will be at risk of cervical cancer down the road, and it's only through universal vaccination that we can eradicate cervical cancer," she says. "Most people get HPV at some point in their life, and usually they get it shortly after they become sexually active. This is why it's important to vaccinate girls before they become sexually active. This needs to be presented as a vaccine against cervical cancer, not for sexual promiscuity."

In tests, Merck's HPV vaccine, GARDASIL® (GlaxoSmithKline is also testing a vaccine; its studies will be submitted for approval in late 2006), was found to be virtually 100 percent effective in protecting against four HPV types, which together cause 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts. It was less effective in young women who had already been exposed to one of the HPV types covered by the vaccine, and it does not treat existing HPV infections, genital warts, precancers or cancers. Because it does not protect against all types of infection, it's still important to have annual pap smears.

The vaccine consists of a series of three shots given within a six-month period and costs $360 for the series. There are no side effects. Since the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended that the vaccine be covered under the federal Vaccines for Children program, most private insurers will cover it as well. In fact, several of the largest private insurers in the country have already announced that it will be covered.

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