• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

N.S. First to Announce Publicly Funded Program Against Cancer-Linked Virus

Posted on: Wednesday, 20 June 2007, 15:06 CDT

By MELANIE PATTEN

HALIFAX (CP) - Nova Scotia became the first province Wednesday to unveil plans for a publicly funded vaccine to protect young girls from the leading cause of cervical cancer.

Beginning this fall, some 6,000 girls in Grade 7 will be given the option of receiving three doses of Gardasil, the vaccine for the human papilloma virus or HPV. The latest federal budget included $300 million for such programs, but Nova Scotia is the first province to introduce one.

"There was no reason for not moving ahead (with the program)," Dr. Robert Strang, the province's medical officer, said Wednesday.

"The science is there, the money is now there thanks to the federal government, and so we're taking advantage of the opportunity."

The vaccine, produced by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., has been available in Canada since it was approved by Health Canada last year.

The vaccine is considered "safe and well tolerated," according to a recent report from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

However, the committee is still looking into the cost-effectiveness of publicly funded programs, even though Nova Scotia is moving ahead with its plan.

Alain Desroches, a spokesman for the Public Health Agency of Canada, said some provinces have indicated they won't introduce their own programs until the committee issues its recommendations later this year.

"They don't have to wait for that panel to come up with recommendations," he said. "Ultimately that decision rests with every province and territory."

Nova Scotia, which has the most cases of invasive cervical cancer in Canada, will administer doses over a six-month period as part of its school-based vaccination program.

The three-year program will cost $2.8 million a year. As with all public health vaccinations, the HPV vaccine is not mandatory and requires consent.

HPV, which is also known to cause genital warts, is a common virus transmitted through sexual activity.

Most HPV infections go away on their own, but some types cause persistent infection and create a risk for cervical cancer.

It's estimated that more than 1,300 Canadian women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year, and about 400 will die from the disease.

Gardasil protects against two types of HPV known to cause the majority of cervical cancers, said Dr. Rob Grimshaw, a Halifax-based gynecologic oncologist.

"Cervical cancer, when it develops, we see a lot of women with abnormal pap smears who are in their mid-20s," said Grimshaw, who's also the medical director of Cancer Care Nova Scotia.

"We'd expect to see a substantial drop in that group of women within probably 15 years. The full impact from a cancer point of view won't be felt for probably 40 years down the road."

Source: Canadian Press

More News in this Category