| ■ New Hampshire 1st State to Offer Free Cervical Cancer Vaccine | 06.12.4 |
| Beginning in January, New Hampshire will become the first state to offer the new vaccine to protect against cervical cancer free to all girls, ages 11 through 18. State officials hope about 17,000 girls -- 25 percent of those eligible -- will come forward in 2007 to get the vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June for girls as young as 9 years old, the Associated Press reported. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in U.S. women. The vaccine doesn't protect girls who've already been exposed to HPV, so it's important for them to get vaccinated before they become sexually active, the AP reported. "Some say giving the vaccination to 11-year-old girls is a license to promiscuity. I disagree," said John Stephen, the state's Health and Human Services Commissioner. ----- Yahoo Health |