Cancerous politics

A WONDER DRUG for women has just become available. But if a small group of politically prominent social conservatives have their way, many of them won't have access to it.

Gardasil, the world's first vaccine that protects against cervical cancer, was just approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It has a smashing success rate when it comes to protecting against the two types of human papillomavirus responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer rates.

Doctors and health experts have set a low target age for vaccination -- as young as 9 -- because it works best before subjects start having sex. Many public-health experts want the vaccination to be required for public-school students.

For this life-saving change to take place, the national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices needs to endorse routine Gardasil vaccination at its meeting later this month. It's particularly crucial to get their recommendation because the three-shot series costs $360, and the ACIP's recommendation would most likely drive funding for poor (under the federal Vaccinations for Children program) and middle-class (many insurers will cover it with the ACIP's endorsement) alike.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/09/EDGDOILMAT1.DTL&feed=rss.opinion