Anti-Cervical Cancer Vaccine Gardasil Gaining Popularity in California

Gardasil, the controversial vaccine designed for the prevention of cervical cancer in young girls and women, is becoming more accepted and widely used in California, university researchers say.

In a study conducted by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, researchers found that about one in four teenage girls in the state got at least one dose of the vaccine in 2007, the first year Gardasil was in full distribution. That means about 378,000 out of 1.5 million women in the age group were treated with Gardasil, which is administered with three shots over a period of six months.

Also, among those women who had not yet started Gardasil treatments, most teens and young women said they were interested in receiving the vaccine, the study found.

Gardasil protects women from four common straints of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is a cause of about 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts in the United States.

Controversial Vaccine Gains Ground

The positive study results are a shot of encouragement for Gardasil, the Merck & Co. which has attracted much international debate and controversy since it was approved in 2006. Worldwide, about 40 million doses of Gardasil have been given.

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Gardasil be used in girls as young as 11 and women up to age 26, which ignited some controversy, since the vaccine is most effective if administered before a girl or young woman receiving it is sexually active. The CDC’s suggestion that girls as young as 11 years old may be sexually active and therefore good candidates for Gardasil was met with intense social commentary.

Also, the CDC’s recommendation prompted many public health programs for the poor and private insurance plans to cover the expense of Gardasil shots.

Critics Cite Allergic Reaction Risk

Other critics of Gardasil said the vaccine is unnecessary, since the Pap smear is already an effective method for cervical cancer screening. Studies showing Gardasil is safe and linked to a few cases of allergic reactions have done little to quiet debate about its use.

In February 2009, about 76,000 doses from a single batch of Gardasil were recalled in Spain after two girls there suffered severe reactions to the drug. The girls, both 14, had to be hospitalized for convulsions but later recovered after treatment. In 2008, a study of Gardasil’s use found three confirmed severe allergic reactions in girls and young women who received the vaccine in Australia.

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