A shot of prevention against HPV
 

In the words of Kansas City pediatrician Kurt Metzl, being vaccinated with Gardasil is a "no-brainer." Metzl adds, "Parents have an obligation to make the right decisions for their children."



DOES THE VACCINE PROVIDE COMPLETE PROTECTION?



Gardasil targets four strains of HPV, types 6 and 11, which cause genital warts, and types 16 and 18, which cause up to 70 percent of cervical cancers. Clinical trials have shown that the vaccine is 100 percent effective against HPV strains 16 and 18, and 99 percent effective against strains 6 and 11.



The vaccination consists of three shots given over a six-month period. Gardasil does not protect against every harmful strain of HPV. A Pap test is an important tool for detecting early abnormalities that can develop into cancer.



HOW EXPENSIVE IS THE VACCINE?



The vaccine costs at least $360, and more and more insurers are covering it. The vaccine maker Merck has a program to pay for the vaccinations for women whose insurance won't cover the vaccine or who otherwise can't afford it.



HOW COMMON IS HPV?



According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV is common and usually harmless. HPV is the name of about a hundred different strains of a virus that lives in the skin or mucous membranes. There are usually no symptoms, and the infection can go away on its own within two years. Of those 100 strains, however, about 30 affect the genital area in men and women.



HOW IS GENITAL HPV SPREAD?



Genital HPV is spread through sexual intercourse, and it is estimated that 80 percent of women will have contracted a genital HPV infection by age 50. Because there are often no symptoms, if someone has been sexually active with more than one partner, it is impossible to know when and by whom someone was infected.



WHAT DISEASES CAN HPV CAUSE?



About a dozen of the 30 genital HPV strains can cause genital warts, which are treatable. Another dozen strains can cause abnormal changes in the cervix. Occasionally, these changes can result in cervical cancer.



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