Dear Parents,

A vaccine called Gardasil is now recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for all girls and young women between the ages of 9 and 26 years old. Gardasil is designed to protect against several types of human papilloma virus(HPV). Infection with the human papilloma virus can cause genital warts and cervical cancer. HPV is the most common of all sexually transmitted viral infections. Once young women have been sexually active for several years, more than half will have been infected with HPV. In fact, of the 6.2 million new cases of HPV each year, most are among adolescents and young adults. Protecting against the most aggressive types of HPV will greatly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer which currently accounts for almost 4,000 deaths per year in this country. By ideally vaccinating girls before they become sexually active, we now have an opportunity to protect young women from this cancer-causing virus.

In clinical trials, the Gardasil vaccine was highly effective in preventing genital warts and pre-cancerous genital lesions. Young girls ages 9-15 actually responded with the highest levels of protective antibodies after vaccination. Five years after vaccination, protection against HPV was still strong with no signs of waning immunity.

It is recommended that Gardasil be given to girls at the 11-12 year-old physical exam and to older girls as well when possible. In the future, the vaccine may also be available to protect boys and men from HPV. The vaccine is given in three doses with the second and third doses two and six months after the initial dose. It may be safely given on the same day as other vaccines such as tetanus or meningitis vaccines. Reported side effects include only brief arm discomfort from the injection and rare cases of low grade fever.

The pediatricians at Dowd Medical Associates believe that this vaccine is an important part of health care for your daughters. While the vaccine is optional, it provides an opportunity to protect the health of young women before they are potentially exposed to a dangerous virus. Depending on the age of your daughter, you may want to include your child in a discussion about healthy decision making and sexually transmitted diseases before having her receive the Gardasil vaccine.

Thank you!
Drs. Rashba, Smith, Sachs, Curdo and Borer