Should girls get shots for virus at 9?

Byline: Lubna Takruri

Young women and parents of girls as young as 9 likely will face a new question at the doctor's office: Should they accept a vaccination to protect against the sexually transmitted virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer?

"I'm going to do the same thing I did when they recommended the chicken pox vaccine. I'm probably going to follow the recommendation of my pediatrician," said Gwen Scales of Detroit, who has two teenage daughters.

The vaccine, Gardasil, was approved this month by the federal Food and Drug Administration. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee unanimously voted to recommend Gardasil for 11- and 12-year-old girls as a routine vaccination and for girls and women 13- to 26-years-old as a catch-up.

The committee also said girls as young as 9 can be vaccinated, which has sparked debate about whether vaccination would encourage girls to be sexually active.

The vaccine is effective only before a female is exposed to the human papillomavirus, or HPV. In most cases, that means before she first has sex.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers if cell changes are caught early. The traditional way to do this is through a Pap smear.

Some parents are opposed. Others say they will take a wait- and- see approach. Medical professionals and parents like Scales say they are optimistic.

"It's like any other vaccine. If it's something that is going to prevent them from acquiring any type of disease, I would want that," said…