Los Angeles Times (02.18.2009) - Thursday, February 19, 2009
Mary Engel
A report released Tuesday by the University of California-Los Angeles' Center for Health Policy Research finds high levels of awareness and acceptance of the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil among Californians.
In 2007, Gardasil's first full year of distribution, one in four teenage girls in the state - roughly 378,000 - received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the survey. Gardasil is administered in three shots over a period of six months. And among those who had not started the series, a majority of teens, young adult women, and their parents expressed support for the vaccine.
Gardasil protects against strains of the STD linked to the majority of cervical cancer and genital wart cases. When it was approved in June 2006, critics argued it was too new for its long-term effectiveness and safety to be known; that it was too expensive; that it was unnecessary because Pap smears already look for cervical cancer; and that it could be viewed as tacit approval of premarital sex. In 2007, CDC recommended the vaccine for girls ages 11-12 and as well as other females up to age 26.
The study is the first to examine Gardasil vaccination rates within a single state. Researchers used a large database, the California Health Interview Survey, in which more than 50,000 residents are periodically interviewed via telephone.
Sociologist David Grant, the survey's director, said preliminary results showed little difference in acceptance by race, ethnicity or economic status. The researchers plan to release additional data on how different ethnic and socioeconomic groups have complied with CDC's recommendation.
Grant said the team was surprised to find widespread acceptance of Gardasil, which is attributed in part to aggressive marketing by its maker, Merck & Co. "It's hard to open a magazine targeted to young women and not see an ad for Gardasil," he said.
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