Vaccines: more reasons to immunize.(Health)

A vaccine against cancer, an important new use for the chicken pox vaccine, and updates on how to use existing vaccines could keep thousands of people from suffering or dying each year from preventable diseases.

"It's been an unprecedented time for immunization," says Gregory Poland, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic vaccine research group in Rochester, Minn. "Yet too few adults are getting vaccinated."

Here are the vaccines to discuss with your doctor to see if they're for you.

HPV. In June 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine for preventing cervical cancer, precancerous lesions of the vagina and vulva, and genital warts. Approved for girls and women ages 9 to 26, the vaccine prevents infection from four strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), the sexually transmitted virus responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts. Since the vaccine doesn't confer complete protection, vaccinated women should still be screened for cervical cancer.

Shingles. In May 2006, the FDA approved Zostavax, a vaccine for preventing shingles, a blistering rash with painful nerve inflammation. The new vaccine is a stronger version of the varicella vaccine (Varivax) used to prevent chicken pox. (Both diseases are caused by the same virus.) With no single effective treatment to easily manage shingles, immunization should help many people avoid its miseries. It is recommended for those 60 years of age or older.

Flu. In February 2006, public health officials recommended for the first time that healthy children ages 2 through 5 and the people who care for them get an annual flu shot. The Centers ...