Nova Scotia girls to get HPV vaccine

Girls in Nova Scotia will be among the first in the country to get vaccinated against a virus that causes cervical cancer.

Starting this fall, girls in Grade 7can receive three doses of the vaccine over six months. It will be offered as part of the school-based vaccination program and will not be mandatory.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common virus transmitted through sexual activity and is the leading cause of cervical cancer.

The vaccinations will be paid for with the $2.8 million per year the province is receiving from Ottawa as part of a program announced earlier this year.

Nova Scotia has one of the highest cervical cancer rates in Canada. About 55 women are diagnosed with it each year, andabout 20 die.

With vaccination and regular pap smears, "it's possible that during the lifespan of my career, cervical cancer will become a disease of the past," Dr. Rob Grimshaw, a cancer specialist, said Wednesday.

Last July, Health Canada approved Gardasil as a vaccine. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) later declared the drug safe and effective, and recommended that all girls ages nine to 13 be immunized.

The federal government announced in March it would provide $300 million for vaccinations.

Though the program has the backing of major medical associations, such as the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, some doctors say people should be cautious.

Dr. Andrew Lynk, a pediatrician in Sydney, said about half of the women who get cervical cancer in Nova Scotia have never had a Pap smear or haven't had one recently, so he wonders if a vaccine is the best route.

"Maybe a better way to do this is to spend that $2.8 million and hire 40 nurses and go looking for those people and track them down who aren't getting their Pap smears," said Lynk.

He also points to studies that show once a vaccine eliminates one disease others in the same family move in.