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Vaccine to safeguard women’s health

Cervical cancer killed about 36 women and was diagnosed in 128 more in Jamaica and other southeast Queens neighborhoods during the four-year period from 1999 to 2003, according to the most recent statistics available from the New York State Cancer Registry.
While representing about one-tenth the number of the more common lung and breast cancer deaths among women from the neighborhoods of Addisleigh Park, Bellerose, Briarwood, Cambria Heights, Floral Park, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Jamaica, Rosedale, Queens Village, Springfield Gardens and South Ozone Park during those years, that number stands to decrease substantially due to a new vaccine that can prevent the majority of cases.
Called Gardasil, the three-dose vaccine was developed by pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. and was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in June 2006 for use in females ages nine to 26. It works by targeting strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer and genital warts.
Gardasil is given in three injections over six months. In initial research studies on approximately 21,000 women, the vaccine was nearly 100 percent effective in targeting the four HPV strains that cause approximately 70 percent of cervical cancer cases (types 16 and 18) and 90 percent of genital warts cases (types 6 and 11).
“[Gardasil is] a very exciting new development because it has become very clear that cancer of the cervix, which has been a major killer of women around the world for a long time, is caused by HPV,” said Dr. Wayne Cohen, Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center (JHMC).
JHMC offers the vaccine at no cost to uninsured and underinsured females ages nine to 19.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV affects approximately 6.2 million Americans annually and is the most common sexually-transmitted infection in the nation. There are more than 100 strains of the virus, of which over 30 are sexually transmitted. About 10 of the sexually transmitted strains are linked to cervical cancer.
The CDC estimates that more than 80 percent of women will have acquired a genital HPV infection by the age of 50. Most do not know they have been infected because they show no signs nor symptoms. The infection usually goes away on its own.
“Having seen a lot of women and many young women with problems from genital warts and cervical cancer, it’s very comforting to me to know that it’s available,” said Cohen, who confirmed that he is not a paid consultant of Merck & Co. and does not stand to benefit financially from increased distribution of the vaccine.
Gardasil retails for $360 for all three injections and researchers do not yet know if booster shots will be necessary to maintain immunity indefinitely, Cohen said.
Although the vaccine is costly, federal grant money has enabled JHMC to provide it for free since January to those who qualify, Cohen said.
According to Merck & Co. research, the vaccine is most effective in the youngest age groups when it produces the highest level of antibodies. It is less effective in young women who have already been exposed to any of the four strains. The company recommends that it be given before the onset of sexual activity. It is not known to produce any serious side effects, although irritation at the injection site can occur.
Although Cohen said that if the vaccine’s initial results are borne out over the long term its development will have been a “wonderful public health achievement,” he cautioned that women who receive the vaccine remember that it does not protect against every strain of HPV and is not a substitute for regular pelvic examinations and Pap smears.
“Women need to understand that this does not protect against other kinds of [sexually transmitted diseases] and, obviously, does not protect against pregnancy,” he said.
For more information on receiving the Gardasil vaccine visit the JHMC Women’s Health Center located at 135-10 Jamaica Avenue or call 718-291-3276.