A new vaccine for cervical cancer and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is spurring interest at University Health Services (UHS), which is now offering the vaccine.

In the summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gardasil, a vaccine effective against four types of HPV, including the two that cause most cervical cancers, Shelley Haffner, a UHS nurse manager, said.

The vaccine has just started to catch on at UHS, Haffner said.

"We've had a fair number of students receive the vaccine, and a lot more are asking about it," Haffner said.

UHS is also discussing Gardasil during women's health appointments, she said.

"Two of the types are linked to 70 percent of cervical cancers that are seen," Haffner said. "The vaccine should be effective close to 100 percent in helping to prevent cervical cancer."

The FDA approved Gardasil for use in girls and women ages 9 through 26.

"Ideally, it's best if women can get it before they become sexually active," Haffner said. "But it will benefit all women."

Gardasil is administered in a series of three injections over a six-month period, Ellen Nagy, marketing manager at UHS, said. The second and third doses are given at two and six months, respectively, after the first dose, she added.

"As with all vaccines, there could be side effects," Nagy said. "The most common side effect would be pain, redness, swelling or itching at the injection site."

Each dose of Gardasil costs $140, plus a visit fee, Nagy said. UHS advises students to find out ahead of time if their health insurance will cover it. Students have the option to pay up front, charge the cost to their student account or use a credit card.

"We realize that it's a fairly expensive vaccine and that students don't always have that much money readily at hand," Haffner said.

This vaccine is important because of the high number of people infected with HPV in the United States, Nagy said. Most infections occur in women and men in their late teens and early twenties, she said.

"More than 20 million women and men are currently infected, with over 6 million new infections each year," Nagy said. "I think college-age women need to protect themselves as much as they can if they'll be sexually active."

HPV is spread through unsafe sex practices, Nagy said.

"The risk is having unprotected sex with someone who has HPV," she said. "The virus is spread through skin-to-skin genital, anal or oral sexual contact."

The vaccine will not replace other prevention strategies, Haffner said.

"This is not a replacement for safer sex practices or Pap screenings," Haffner said. "This is adjunct to other preventative healthcare."

Both Haffner and Nagy urge women to think about the vaccine.

"It's certainly worth looking into," Haffner said. "Whether she's sexually active or not, we would encourage all women to look into this vaccine and give it serious consideration."

HPV is commonly referred to as genital warts, but it includes more than 100 viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A third of these viruses can cause problems afflicting both sexes, such as genital warts on a man's penis or a woman's vagina or cervix. In some women, cell changes in the cervix may be pre-cancerous.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, according to the CDC. At least 50 percent of sexually active people will get HPV in their lifetime.

Gardasil is available now at UHS by calling 814-863-0774 for an appointment with a nurse.