 Dr. Ernest Levister Jr.
Dear T.W. The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.
Gardasil blocks infection by four common strains of human papilloma virus or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer many years after infection. HPV, which eventually infects over half of all sexually active people, also causes genital warts.
Who Should Get It: Medical groups recommend three doses given over six months for girls ages 11 and 12, and say it can be given to girls as young as 9 and up to 18. It is approved for women up to age 26. The cost is $350 for the three doses required.
Manufacturer Merck & Co., which says Gardasil is covered by 96 percent of insurance plans, recently added Gardasil and its other adult vaccines to its patient assistance program for low-income citizens.
The company claims Gardasil prevents 99 percent of infections by two HPV strains that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer and two strains that cause most genital warts.
On average, there are 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,700 deaths in the U.S. each year. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the No. 2 cancer in women causing over 470,000 new cases and 233,000 deaths a year.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Merck is completing testing of Gardasil on women ages 26 to 45 and will apply for approval for those groups by year's end.
Rival drug maker GlaxoSmithKline is developing its own vaccine, Cervarix.
There is a lot of political "noise" surrounding Gardasil. The massive media hype doesn't help nor does the meddling from the governor of Texas who ordered all girls in his state to get the vaccine and who is a politician not a physician.
If you were my daughter asking, I'd say - check with your physician before you proceed - but wait until the "noise" dies down.
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