Nova Scotia is launching a school vaccination program for human papilloma virus, or HPV, the leading cause of cervical cancer.
Beginning this fall, girls in Grade 7 will be given three doses of the HPV vaccine Gardasil over a six-month period as part of the province's school-based vaccination program.
The vaccine will not be mandatory and will require consent -- just like all public health vaccinations.
"Young Nova Scotia women in Grade 7 will be the first in Canada to receive a publicly-funded vaccination for HPV," said N.S. Health Minister Barry Barnet.
HPV, which causes genital warts, is a common virus transmitted through sexual activity. Most HPV infections go away on their own, but some types create a risk for cervical cancer.
Every year, about 1,500 Canadian women are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. Approximately 420 of those women will not survive.
HPV is so rampant, it is estimated that 75 per cent of women will come in contact with the virus in their lifetime; many will never know they have been infected.
"As women become sexually active and as they get older, and are more exposed to the cancer causing HPV, the vaccine is not as effective," said Dr. Rob Crimshaw of Cancer Care Nova Scotia.
Gardasil protects from two strains of HPV that cause 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases. Sexual health promoter Joanna Jodrey said she supports the vaccination campaign, but warns the other 30 per cent of cases would have to be addressed through education and regular pap testing.
In January 2007, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended that all Canadian girls and women aged 9 to 26 be vaccinated against HPV.
The federal government recently made available $300 million to the provinces and territories to support the launch of HPV vaccination programs.
The HPV vaccine is sold in Canada under the name Gardasil and was approved by Health Canada in July 2006. It is 100 per cent in those not previously exposed to the virus and 71 per cent effective in women previously exposed.
With a report from CTV Atlantic's Elizabeth Chiu
