UM Maneater, MO
10-13-06
Health center looking to offer HPV vaccine
By Alex Lundy, Staff Writer
Gardasil is a vaccine to protect women from sexually transmitted viruses.
The recent approval of the Gardasil vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration
has many sexually active people breathing sighs of relief. But, the MU Student
Health Center is only in the beginning stages of preparing to offer it to students.
Gardasil is the vaccine that protects against four types of human papillomavirus,
which infects about 6 million people in the United States each year. The vaccine
prevents 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts caused
by these types of HPV, according to the Center for Disease Control.
The CDC states Gardasil is almost 100 percent effective, and there are no
serious side effects. Right now, it is only recommended for women between the
ages of 9 and 26.
Gardasil is given in a series of three shots over a six-month period.
“We don’t have it as [of] yet,” Director of Student Health Services Susan Even
said. “We’re looking at the availability. We’re looking at the costs.”
The vaccine became available this past June. According to the CDC, the retail
value of each shot is $120, or $360 for the full series.
Both Texas A&M University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offer Gardasil
to their students at $150 per dose. Iowa State University offers it at $147 per
dose. All three schools have had Gardasil available since August.
“We had a lot of inquiry over the summer about it,” said Jennifer Snyder,
spokeswoman for student health services at University of Nebraska. “Many
parents inquired about it.”
At Texas A&M, the Women’s Center gives information about the vaccine to every
student who takes a well-woman exam.
Since the end of August, Texas A&M has given approximately 50 of the first
doses of the series, Mechael Lewis of the Texas A&M Women’s Center said.
Even said the MU Student Health Center is discussing how best to educate
students about the vaccine and the appropriate time to offer it.
While MU is still in a “preparatory process,” the Student Health Center plans to
offer Gardasil in the future, Even said.
“It’s an important preventative strategy because vaccines are effective when
used properly,” she said.
In terms of cost, large insurance companies normally cover the cost of
recommended vaccines, according to the CDC. There is usually a short lag
period between when a vaccine becomes available and when insurance will
cover it.
At MU, “the student health fee wouldn’t cover it,” Even said. “It’s too expensive.”
Reasons other universities said they offer Gardasil involve the vaccine’s
effectiveness and the ideal age it should be given.
It is important to have because “about 70 percent of the college-aged group is
exposed to HPV,” Lewis said.
Although MU Student Health Services does not offer Gardasil now, its staff is still
aware of the vaccine’s importance.
“It’s a tool to prevent infections with specific types of the HPV virus more likely to
contribute to cervical cancer,” Even said.
Although some Big 12 schools have the Gardasil vaccine available to its students
now, the vaccine should ideally be taken by teens and pre-teens who are not yet
sexually active.
“When, in five years, girls have had it at 13, we won’t need it anymore,” Snyder
said.