Important Information About HPV Vaccines
More than 100 forms of human papilloma virus (HPV) are known to exist. Over 30 types of HPV are transmitted through sexual contact. At the very least 19 types of HPV cause cervical cancer in women and also cause cancer of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus and certain types of throat cancer. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine called Gardasil, made by Merck & Co., for the prevention of infection by four types of HPV. Gardasil prevents infection by two cancer-causing HPV types (16 and 18 - responsible for 70% of cervical cancer in the United States) and two HPV types that cause genital warts (6 and 11 - responsible for approximately 90% of the HPV-induced genital warts in the United States). A competitor of Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, includes a vaccine under review by the FDA they hope to possess approved in the near future. This vaccine, called Cervarix, prevents infection with HPV types 16 and 18. The FDA approved Gardisil for use within girls and w...