The National Advisory Committee on Immunization says girls and women aged 14-26 should be vaccinated against Human Papilloma virus (HPV). Further it recommends that every 9-13 year old girl in the country should be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
Dr. Shelley Deeks, executive secretary of the advisory group, said the vaccine is safe and effective. The question that remains is: who will pay?
Merck & Co's Gardasil was approved in July, but so far no province has agreed to pay for the shots, which are given in three doses and cost about $135 per injection. It's possible Canada could see school based HPV vaccination programs, says Deeks, senior Medical specialist in the immunizations and respiratory infections division at the public Health Agency of Canada. "We've been very successful in Canada in our school based programs. We can look at what happened with hepatitis B and how successful those programs were when considering the potential for HPV programs."
Studies suggest 10 to 29 percent of women in Canada are infected with HPV. HPV causes almost all cervical cancers, killing an estimated 290,000 women worldwide, including about 400 in Canada each year. Gardasil protects against four subtypes that together account for 70 percent of all cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts. it has been shown to be more than 95 percent effective.
The group says that girls should be vaccinated between 9 and 13 years of age, "which is before the onset of sexual intercourse for most females in Canada."
It's also not known how long the vaccine provides protection.
"It makes the most sense to start before the vast majority of them will become sexually active, but not too early," says Deeks. "It's a fine line."
If an individual woman wants the vaccine, she should speak with her doctor, Deeks said.
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