January is cervical cancer awareness month, and many are hoping that a new vaccine can help prevent the disease.

A new vaccination, Gardasil, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is currently the only vaccine that guards women against diseases caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

"The best way right now to prevent cervical cancer is the new immunization, Gardasil," said JoAnna Moyer, registered nurse practitioner and clinical manager of women's health at University Health Services (UHS).

Gardasil is preventative against the HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18. These diseases include cervical cancer, genital warts and cervical abnormalities that may lead to cancer, according to the manufacturer's Web site.

According to a UHS press release, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. and is most common in men and women in their late teens and early 20s. By age 50, it is estimated that 80 percent of all women will have had an HPV infection.

Of the about 6 million new cases of genital HPV in the U.S. every year, it is estimated that 74 percent of them occur in 15 to 24 year olds, the Web site said.

HPV strains 6 and 11 cause genital warts, and strains 16 and 18 cause 70 percent of cervical cancers, Moyer said.

"[The vaccine] will not protect against all forms of cervical cancer and is not a replacement for regular Pap smears. You can still get cervical cancer from other strains," said Moyer.

The vaccine is intended for women aged nine to 26 and is most beneficial when administered before the woman becomes sexually active, according to the press release.

"If you wait until after first intercourse, you've already been exposed to [strains] 16 and 18. If you're already infected, the vaccine won't cure the infection," Moyer said.

Moyer said women who are already sexually active can still benefit from the vaccine.

"Everybody should get [the vaccine], even if it's already been confirmed that they have HPV," Moyer said.

Even if women have been infected with one strain of HPV, chances are slim that they have been infected with all four of the strains that Gardasil protects against, she said.

Other ways to prevent cervical cancer include regular Pap tests, avoiding tobacco, keeping a healthy diet, remaining abstinent and limiting the number of sexual partners, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vaccine still remains one of the most effective ways to prevent cervical cancer, Moyer said.

"If we could get everyone across the board immunized before first intercourse, we could prevent 70 percent of cervical cancer," Moyer said.