Over the course of this year, the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit anticipates that almost 50 per cent of Grade 8 girls in the Muskoka district will receive a vaccination for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

“We’re not quite finished but we’re getting there,” said Laurie Stanford, manager of the vaccines and preventable diseases program for the health unit. “We only found out about the program in August of last year, and the program was implemented in September, so it was fast. Last year, we know 65 per cent (of Grade 8 girls) did get the vaccine in Simcoe-Muskoka.”

HPV is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a virus. There are many types of HPV; some cause warts, while others cause changes to a woman’s cervix that can lead to cancer. HPV is contracted by various forms of unprotected sex. Some people who have HPV do not have any signs of infection, and it can be transmitted without a person knowing it.

Grade 8 girls across the province are being vaccinated with Gardasil, which can protect against four types of HPV infections – types 6 and 11 (commonly cause genital warts), 16 and 18 (commonly cause cervical cancer).

Last year, the federal government announced it would provide $39 million in funding for an immunization campaign to prevent HPV.

A course of the vaccine, developed by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., costs $404. The vaccine is given in three doses, all of which must be taken within a year.

“This vaccine is expensive,” said Stanford. “We’re the second highest (in terms of participation) in the province…65 per cent (of parents) took advantage of the vaccine offer. We’ve had some parents call and ask us why we’re doing this and what’s the big deal, but there’s been equally as many phone calls from parents saying, ‘My kid’s not in Grade 8. Why can’t my child have it?’”

Stanford stated that the reason Grade 8 boys are not being immunized is because there isn’t enough current research to determine how the immunization would affect them. She said vaccinations are given to girls in Grade 8 “to get them before they start practising more risky behaviour and become exposed to the virus.”

“We’re not going to know, for years down the road, what effects vaccinations have had,” she said. “Basically, the girls who have been vaccinated are tracked, and it takes a while to compare, but it’s to find out what happened to those who had the vaccine as opposed to those who didn’t. This is typical of all immunizations. We’re happy with the way the program is going but we’d like to see 75 to 80 per cent getting vaccinated.”

While many people view the vaccination program as an important tool to combat the rapidly-spreading virus, there is some speculation as to whether enough testing was done to determine the side effects of the vaccine.

In August 2007, an article appeared on the CBC website featuring Abby Lippman, a professor of the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University in Montreal. Lippman expressed the belief that the immunization campaign should be halted until a further study can be done. She said, because there’s a potential for unexpected effects, it is important to get the information to ensure that a system is in place that will protect and promote women’s health.

Admitting “we will never have all of the answers,” Lippman wanted a thorough governmental review of the vaccine’s safety, cost and uses before a large-scale immunization program was initiated. She suggested certain programs, such as an immunization registry, be established to track patients, should the first round of vaccinations prove ineffective and follow-up immunizations be warranted.

She said she was not sure why the government pushed ahead with a costly vaccination program when scientific evidence of the vaccine’s efficiency and safety is lacking. She indicated only 1,200 girls aged 9 to 15 were enrolled in clinical trials of Merck Frosst Canada Ltd.’s Gardasil and the youngest were only tracked for 18 months.

In a report she wrote on HPV, Lippman said women should be reminded that cervical cancer is “not an epidemic” and HPV does not necessarily lead to cancer.

“Most HPV infections are cleared spontaneously, within one year for about 70 per cent of women and within two years for 90 per cent,” said the report. “Cervical cancer will not develop in most women who are infected with even a high-risk strain of HPV.”

To learn more about how to keep from contracting HPV, visit the health unit’s website at www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.