January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Each year, approximately 15,000 U.S. women learn that they have cervical cancer and more than 5,000 of those cases result in death. Cervical cancer is nearly 100 percent curable if it is found early, but can only be detected by a Pap test.

Today, there is a new option for parents to consider using as a vaccination against cervical cancer for their daughters. The following is information provided by Janet W. Dellinger, M.D. at Memphis Pediatrics.

Question:
 I've heard so much lately about the vaccine for HPV, or the Human Papillomavirus. What is HPV, and should I have my daughter vaccinated for it?

Answer:
 Gardasil is the new vaccine that has been approved for girls and women from 9-26 years old. It is a vaccine against Human Papillomavirus, HPV, which causes genital warts and cervical cancer. Although no vaccine is 100 percent effective, this vaccine targets two strains of the virus that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer, and two more strains which cause 90 percent of genital warts. The goal is to immunize girls before they have been exposed to the virus through sexual contact.

As a parent and a pediatrician, I am hopeful that the vaccine will protect my daughters against this virus and the conditions it causes. I would strongly encourage you to have your daughter vaccinated and to discuss this with your pediatrician at your next visit. Although the vaccine is approved for children as young as 9 years old, it is currently being given most commonly at the 11- to 12-year checkup along with other vaccines, such as tetanus. The vaccine is given in three doses over a six-month period.

It is important to remember that the vaccine does not treat the conditions caused by the virus, nor does it change the recommendations regarding routine screening for cervical cancer (Pap smear). There are ongoing studies to determine whether a booster will be needed in the future. 

To learn more about Gardasil, please visit their Web site, www.garasil.com.