North Coast to roll out HPV vaccine
The North Coast Area Health Service is about to roll out the Commonwealth Government-funded program for the provision of human papillomavirus vaccine (known as HPV) to all females aged 12 to 26 years.
The vaccine was developed by former Australian of the Year, Professor Ian Frazer, Director of The University of Queensland’s Centre for immunology and Cancer Research. NCAHS says that like all medicines and vaccines considered for funding by the Australian Government it was evaluated for safety and clinical effectiveness and approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The vaccine works by immunising girls against certain strains of HPV that are known to cause 70 per cent of cervical cancers. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide.
The program commences later this month and will be delivered at local secondary schools for those in Years 10,11 and 12. The vaccine will be given in a series of three injections:
1st dose – April/May
2nd dose - May/June
3rd dose - September
A follow-up program will be held at General Practitioner surgeries later in 2007. Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be vaccinated in 2008. From 2009, the program will become part of the regular school-based immunisation program for 12-13 year olds.
As with other immunisation programs, parents and guardians must give consent for their daughters to receive the vaccine. Parental consent forms will be sent home with female students before the program commences in April.
More information can be found at www.australia.gov.au/cervicalcancer
NCAHS sats that it is also important for all women to continue with regular Pap smears, even if they have been vaccinated. “Pap smears every two years can reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by up to 90 per cent,” it said.
