Geisinger expert: Gardasil is a recommended protection against HPV and cervical cancer
DANVILLE – With an epidemic of human papillomavirus (HPV) beginning to emerge in the United States, a Geisinger expert said the vaccine Gardasil is a key protection against the sexually transmitted disease that’s the most common cause of cervical cancer.
“Gardasil is a very safe medication for the benefits that it offers,” said Harry Mateer, MD an obstetrics and gynecology physician who practices at Geisinger Medical Center and Geisinger Medical Group-Pottsville. “This is potentially lifesaving protection against HPV.”
About 6 million new infections are reported each year in the U.S. Gardasil targets and suppresses two types of HPV that cause 70% of all cases of cervical cancer, and the two types that cause 90% of genital warts.
While safety concerns about Gardasil have been raised recently, Dr. Mateer said the drug’s side effects are low compared to other vaccines, and usually are minor. Common side effects include pain, swelling, itching, and redness at the injection site, fever, dizziness, vomiting and fainting.
Meanwhile, a report out recently in the New England Journal of Medicine said that giving Gardasil to preadolescent girls and women up to age 21 could be a sound public health investment because of the potential benefit.
Dr. Mateer noted that:
Gardasil is an FDA- approved vaccine for women between the ages of 9 and 26 and is generally given around age 11 or 12.
It’s administered in a series of three injections over six months.
Although it’s a recommended vaccine for women before they become sexually active, it can also protect women after they’ve started having sex.
“This is a vaccine we’re recommending for girls and young women,” Dr. Mateer said. “But people should also keep in mind that regular use of condoms and yearly pap smears can further limit the risk of HPV and cervical cancer.”
Fellow Geisinger OB/GYN physician Gehred Wetzel, DO talks about HPV in a podcast at:
http://www.geisinger.org/news/podcast.html
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