FDA approves cervical cancer vaccine

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has recently given its approval for a new vaccine which protects against the human papillomavirus known as HPV.

HPV is one of a group of viruses found to cause cervical cancer, a life-threatening disease that is expected to strike nearly 10,000 women in America this year.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, and is most common in adolescents and young adults; more than half of all sexually active men and women will acquire an HPV infection at some point in their lives.

News of an effective HPV vaccine is welcome but studies have found that the vaccine is most effective for those individuals who have not yet become sexually active i.e young girls.

Experts who identify and diagnose cervical cancer, HPV and other diseases, believe that women who have been sexually active continue to get regular Pap tests and women 30 years of age and older should also have an HPV test, to enhance the chances for identifying precancerous changes.

Critics of the vaccine who say that it will only serve to encourage increased sexual activity among teenagers but have found little support from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or the FDA.

An FDA advisory committee last month recommended approval of Gardasil for girls and women ages nine to 26.

If Gardasil receives FDA approval, which is likely it also must be examined by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and ACIP's HPV vaccine group has also recommended giving the vaccine to girls ages 11 and 12.

CDC analyst Lauri Markowitz says fear of contracting sexually transmitted infections does not appear to be a primary reason that teens abstain from sex and research shows that teens know little about HPV's link to cervical cancer.

Meanwhile the global health group PATH has launched a five-year program that aims to provide access to HPV vaccines to women in developing countries.

By using a $27.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will conduct research in India, Peru, Uganda and Vietnam, selected because they have committed to cervical cancer prevention programs and efficient childhood vaccination programs.

According to PATH, cervical cancer affects about 490,000 women annually worldwide and leads to more than 270,000 deaths.