Gardasil vote wins ACOG's approval.(Gynecology)

ATLANTA -- The quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine should be given to all girls aged 11-12, and to all females aged 13-26 who have not been previously vaccinated, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted at its June meeting.

The vaccine, Merck's Gardasil, was licensed in early June and is available now. It is given in a three-dose series over 6 months and is indicated for the prevention of disease caused by HPV types 16 and 18, which are associated with about 70% of cervical cancers, as well as types 6 and 11, both associated with genital warts.

The decision to vaccinate should not be based on Pap testing, HPV DNA testing, or HPV serologic testing, and no changes are recommended in current guidelines for cervical cancer screening, ACIP said.

The CDC is not obligated to follow the committee's advice, but it usually does.

Although the vaccine should ideally be administered prior to the initiation of sexual activity, females who are already sexually active should still be vaccinated. The vaccine can also be given to girls as young as 9 years of age, at the provider's discretion.

The recommendation for universal immunization of females through the entire age range approved by the FDA--as opposed to a "permissive" recommendation outside of the 11- to 12-year "adolescent visit" age--is exactly what the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists wanted, ACOG liaison Dr. Stanley A. Gall told OB. GYN. NEWS.

"We needed a strong recommendation for ages 13-26," Dr. Gall, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Louisville (Ky.), said in an interview.