VICTORIA - British Columbia will begin paying for girls to get vaccinated against a virus blamed for causing the majority of cervical cancer cases.
Health Minister George Abbott said Thursday the vaccine has shown considerable promise in preventing the disease and his government will join several other provinces in paying for it.
"It will be 100 per cent covered by the Province of British Columbia," Abbott said.
The cost will amount to about $30 million per year.
The move comes after Abbott was urged to do so last month by B.C. medical health officer Dr. Perry Kendall.
Kendall had recommended the province cover the cost of the vaccine for about 50,000 girls in Grade 6 starting next year and that the program would become routine.
Two strains of HPV cause genital warts and two strains of HPV cause about 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases.
The vaccine Gardasil, which prevents against those four strains, was approved by Health Canada last year for girls as young as nine.
"The cost of the HPV vaccine will be covered. it will be 100 per cent covered by the Province of British Columbia. We have some monies towards that coming from the federal government," Abbott said.
"There are still some discussions going on provincially and nationally among public health officials about what the best implementation strategy should be in respect of HPV. But it has shown sufficient promise at this point that we certainly will be proceeding with the program."
