What is this new vaccine?

• Gardasil is the first vaccine licensed specifically to prevent cervical cancer. It contains no live virus, so it's very safe to use.
• The vaccine is administered as three injections over a six month period.
• Gardasil protects women against the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is responsible for nearly 100 percent of all cases of cervical cancer.

  How widespread is HPV?

• HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 6.2 million Americans become infected with HPV each year, and over half of all sexually active men and women become infected with it at some time in their lives.
• HPV infection doesn't always cause visible symptoms, but some types of HPV can cause abnormal growths in the lining of the cervix that over time can lead to cervical cancer.
• Nationally, cervical cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 9,710 women this year, and 3,700 will die from it.

  Does Gardasil offer immunity to cervical cancer?

• No. Gardasil protects against some, but not all, kinds of HPV. It does protect against the most common types, however.
• Because of this, women who receive this vaccine should continue to get a yearly Pap screening for best protection from cervical cancer.
• This vaccine only protects women who have not yet been exposed to HPV.

  Who should get this vaccine?

• The Food and Drug Administration has approved Gardasil for girls and women ages nine to 26.
• Use of the vaccine in women up to age 45 is now being studied, and this may result in an extension of the age range.
• Because men can become infected with HPV, use of the vaccine in both sexes is being studied to help prevent the spread of HPV.

  Where can someone get this vaccine?

• The drug has been approved by the FDA, but is not now part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended vaccine schedule.
• Once a vaccine is recommended by the CDC, the Department of Health will begin the process of adding the vaccine to our scheduled vaccinations.
• Until then, talk to your private health provider about getting Gardasil.

  How can cervical cancer be prevented otherwise?

• The surest way to eliminate the risk for HPV infection is to abstain from sexual activity.
• For those who are sexually active, a mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is the best way to prevent infection.
• Women 21 years or older, or women under 21 years old who have been sexually active for three years or more, should receive a Pap test as part of their regular physical exam. Women younger than 30 years should get a Pap test every year.
• If you are a woman age 30 or older who has had normal Pap tests for three years in a row, talk to your doctor about spacing out Pap tests to every two or three years.