Gardasil: To vaccinate or not to vaccinate for HPV Published Sept. 10, 2010 By Senior Airman Amanda Thompson 14th Medical Group Immunizations Clinic COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. -- The 14th Medical Group Immunization Clinic continues to offer the Gardasil Vaccine, or Human Papilloma Virus vaccine. The 14th MDG staff is available and willing to answer questions patients may have about the vaccine to help patients decide when and if Gardasil is right for their family member. Gardasil was approved in 2006 by the Food and Drug Administration for use in girls and women to prevent genital warts, cervical cancer and other genital cancers caused by Human Papilloma Virus. HPV is a large group viruses, of which several are known to cause genital, head and neck cancers. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection today and it is estimated at least 50 percent of sexually active people will be infected with it sometime in their lives. In up to 90 percent of these infections, the body will clear itself of the virus before cancer can develop. However, in the United States, 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, and almost 4,000 women die from it. In boys and men, HPV can cause genital warts and cancer in the genitals, head and neck. Recently Gardasil was approved for use in boys and men. Prior to FDA approval, clinical trials with Gardasil were conducted with 29,000 male and female participants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA have found Gardasil to be safe and effective based on these trials and, although all vaccines carry some risk to certain individuals, found that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks. Gardasil is approved for use in individuals 9 to 26 years old. This raises questions for some parents about the appropriateness of a vaccine to prevent a sexually transmitted infection in young boys and girls. The intent is to have them vaccinated, and thus protected, before they are likely to be exposed to HPV. Vaccination remains appropriate, however, for men and women in this age group who are already sexually active. Gardasil contains protection against four specific HPV strains; the two which are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers and the two most likely to cause genital warts. Gardasil is given as a series of three injections; the second and third are given at two and six months after the first. For more information on Garasil vaccination, contact your base medical facility or visit the following Web Sites for additional information. http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm http://www.gardasil.com/ http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/726386