Female ISU students can protect themselves against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and ultimately against cervical cancer, at the Thielen Student Health Center.

On June 8, 2006, as stated on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Web site, the USDA approved a Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Recombinant vaccine.

The vaccine, known as Gardasil, protects against four of the 40 types of HPV and is being manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. Approximately 20 million people in the United States are infected according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Students can access the vaccine at Thielen Student Health Center by setting up an appointment with a treatment nurse, said Greg Yeakel, chief staff pharmacist at the center. An appointment with a physician is not necessary.

Yeakel said the Gardasil vaccine is administered in three doses.

According to the CDC, the injections span six months with the second injection administered two months after the first dose and the third administered four months later.

Students should always check with their health insurance company to see if the injections are a covered vaccine on their plan, Yeakel said.

The out-of-pocket expense totals $435 for the three injections at the Health Center.

“Insurance companies were scrambling at first,” Yeakel said.

In the short term, insurance companies don’t have anything to gain by covering the vaccine.

“This is a long term issue, if you get the disease it will be years before cancer forms,” Yeakel said.

The CDC reports that HPV is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women around the world.

According to a flier produced by the CDC, the vaccine is recommended for girls beginning at age 11 and doctors may give the vaccine to girls who are as young as nine years old. Although it is relative to the recommended age, Yeakel said it is most effective to receive the vaccination before they are sexually active.

The CDC flier also recommends girls between 13 and 26 years of age, who have not yet been vaccinated, to do so.

Jaclyn Manternach, senior in English said, “It should definitely be made available,” yet added that she believes it should be a personal choice.

Manternach said she thought the vaccine would be worthwhile as long as the cost of receiving it was not a deterrent for students.

To learn more about the HPV vaccine, the CDC suggests that you call your doctor or your local or state health department or the CDC at (800) 232-4636 or visit the Web site at www.cdc.gov/std/hpv.