HPV vaccine now available at Fairchild clinic

Published Feb. 22, 2007
By Airman 1st Class Kali Gradishar
92nd Air Refueling Wing public affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the country. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it currently affects more than 20 million people and an additional 6.2 million people are infected each year. It can cause cervical cancer and genital warts, and up until recently there had been no sort of vaccine or medication to prevent it.

It is called Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV, and the vaccine that was approved by the FDA last June is now available nationwide.

Gardasil, the vaccine, targets four strands of the virus, two of which are responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancers. The other two are responsible for 90 percent of genital warts cases, according to WebMD.

The vaccine is approved for distribution to 9 to 26-year-old women, though the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend administering the vaccine when girls are 11 or 12 years old. Also, studies are being conducted to determine the effects of the vaccine for women up to age 45.

The vaccine will not help if a strain of HPV is already present in the body, though it will aid in preventing new infections from the strains targeted by the vaccine. For example, if a woman is infected with one of the targeted strains, the vaccine will still be effective with the other three.

The duration of protection from the vaccine has yet to be determined; however, studies show that it may be effective for five years, and there is no sign of decreased immunity during that time.

It is still recommended to receive pap smears and gynecological examinations on a regular basis after receiving the vaccination, which is given in three intra-muscular injections over a six-month period.

Side effects such as pain, swelling, itching and redness at the injection site, fever, nausea, and dizziness may occur, according to the Gardasil website.

The preventative vaccine is a TRICARE-covered benefit.

"It is important for us to protect our beneficiaries from preventable disease whenever we can," said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director, TRICARE Management Activity.

The vaccination has been available at the immunizations clinic on base for about a month. As of now, it is only available to active-duty members within the age group and to all 11 and 12-year-old TRICARE beneficiaries, said Staff Sgt. Christopher Shearer from the 92nd Medical Group. The clinic can be reached at 247-5284.

(Information from gardasil.com, WebMD, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System was used in this story.)