Medicine and Man

FDA has approved the first vaccine directed against the four most common human papilloma virus (HPV) strains viz. 6, 11, 16 and 18.

This vaccine offers protection against:-

• Most forms of cervical cancer
• Most cancers of the vagina and vulva
• Genital warts (Condyloma acuminata)

Gardasil is currently approved for females between 9 to 26 years of age. It has been found to be very safe and 90-100% effective depending on the subtype of HIV strain. The vaccine is given by intra-muscular injection in 3 doses at durations of 0, 2 and 6 months respectively. The effectiveness of the vaccine currently is known to be around 4 years. Long term evaluation is underway.

Limitations of vaccine:-

1. It is ineffective in persons already exposed to HPV infection
2. Even after taking the vaccine, pap smear is needed as protection is only for HPV mediated cervical cancer
3. 80% of adults may have been exposed to at least one strain of HPV in whom the vaccine will be ineffective. These females are still at risk of developing cervical cancer

Contra-indications:-

1. Hypersenstivity to active ingredients
2. Pregnancy (Not recommended – Category B)

References – Gardasil, WebMD FAQ, OnThePharm
Genital HPV infection – CDC fact sheet

Technorati Tags: Cancer, Gardasil, Health, HPV, Medicine, Onclology, STDs, Vaccine

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 8th, 2006 at 9:09 pm and is filed under Health News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.