Published on 2007/02/21 

El Camino Hospital doctors administer HPV vaccine

By Megan Ma, Town Crier Staff Writer

Doctors at El Camino Hospital have been administering Gardasil - a three-shot series - to patients since last fall, shortly after the FDA approved the vaccine in the summer, said Dr. Rita Leard, chief of the department of obstetrics and gynecology.

Although HPV is "very prevalent" among 20- to 30-year-olds, Leard said, many of her female patients have little understanding of HPV, the most common sexually transmitted disease. The recent, much-publicized release of Gardasil has spurred controversy and dialogue about adolescent sex, and subsequently encouraged more accurate information about the virus in general, she said.

There are nearly 100 different subtypes of HPV, Leard said. Thirteen to 15 subtypes are strongly linked to cervical cancer.

While some critics assert that administering the vaccine to younger women may encourage promiscuity, Leard disagrees.

"You're just protecting children, period. Giving kids information about contraceptives doesn't necessarily mean they will go out and have sex," Leard said.

Young women who are already sexually active should consider the vaccine as well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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