Cervical cancer vaccine to be switched

Further to news last week regarding the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine causing health problems in teenage girls the Department of Health has announced that from September 2012 the vaccine used will be swapped to Gardasil.

The move is not thought to be related to the risks found with the Cervarix vaccine but is instead due to the hope that Gardasil will protect against genital warts, alongside its protection against cervical cancer. There are multiple types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), many of which are responsible for genital warts, and two of which cause more than 70% of cervical cancer. Both vaccines protect against these two types of HPV but Gardasil is found to protect against more types than its cheaper alternative, Cervarix.

Gardasil has been the most popular HPV vaccine worldwide and it has been found that the numbers of people infected with genital warts in Australia dramatically fell with the introduction of the vaccine. The Department of Health is hoping that the vaccine will build on the 400 cervical cancer deaths prevented each year due to the vaccinations.
 

Abnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body. Full medical glossary
Relating either to the cervix (the neck of the womb) or to the cervical vertebrae in the neck (cervical spine). Full medical glossary
An abbreviation for human papilloma virus, a sexually transmitted virus that can cause genital warts and may also have a role in the development of various cancers. Full medical glossary
per vaginam Full medical glossary
The means of producing immunity by stimulating the formation of antibodies. Full medical glossary
A common, contagious, harmless growth that occurs on the skin or mucous membranes. Only the topmost layer of skin is affected. Full medical glossary