CDC Recommends HPV Vaccine for Girls Ages 11-12
DATE: July 11, 2006
TO: Delegate Agencies, Board of Directors, Advocates and Staff
FROM: Yvette Jorgensen, Public Policy Analyst
RE: CDC Recommends HPV Vaccine for Girls Ages 11-12
CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which drafts recommendations and schedules for the administration of vaccines in the U.S., unanimously voted to recommend mandatory vaccination of all 11-12 year old girls with Gardasil, a vaccine developed by Merck against the human papillomavirus (HPV).
In early June, the FDA approved Gardasil for use in females aged 9-26. The vaccine will be administered through a three dose regimen over six months, and is estimated to cost $360. Gardasil prevents cervical cancer, precancerous genital lesions and genital warts due to HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. HPV types 16 and 18 are estimated to cause 70% of cervical cancer cases. Women will still need regular pap tests to further mitigate their risk and ensure good reproductive health.
The ACIP recommendation also allows for girls as young as nine to receive the vaccine and recommends that girls and women ages 13 to 26 receive Gardasil.The recommendation further states that although the vaccination should be given before a girl begins sexual activity, sexually active girls and women should receive Gardasil.
With ACIP’s recommendation, it is highly likely that Gardasil will be covered by private insurers. Additionally, Health and Human Services (HHS) is expected to approve the CDC ACIP recommendation that would cost the federal government $2 billion to provide Gardasil for up to seven million girls. Such an approval would make Gardasil the first recommended childhood immunization that aims to prevent a sexually transmitted infection, the first to target a single sex and the first with the primary purpose of preventing cancer.
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