A vaccine University Health Services acquired two years ago was recently approved to help prevent two additional cancers.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil - the Human Papillomavirus vaccination that protects against cervical cancer - to now also protect against vaginal and vulvar cancer in September.
Merck Research Laboratories introduced Gardasil in 2006 to protect young women against the most common strains of HPV.
Gardasil has really reduced the incident of cervical cancer in this country,"" UHS Executive Director Sarah Van Orman said.
UHS acquired Gardasil in the fall of 2006 to administer to female UW-Madison students.
""We really want people to get it before they contract the virus,"" Van Orman said of the vaccine. ""It's important to give it to young women before they've had any sexual activity so we can prevent them from getting the virus.""
According to the FDA, from 2006 to June 2008, 30 million young women worldwide received the vaccine and 18 million of those doses were administered in the United States.
Van Orman said many women in their teens and early 20s are now requesting the vaccine and UHS administered 937 HPV vaccinations to UW-Madison students in the past year.
""We experienced a huge increase in demand for the vaccine last year,"" she said.
According to UHS officials, the demand will decrease within the next few years, as many young women at UW-Madison have already received it and many younger girls are likely to get the vaccination at an earlier age.
Van Orman said Gardasil is completely covered by the Student Health Insurance Plan, but students with other insurance plans will have to pay to receive the vaccination.
""We have to charge what it costs us to buy the vaccine,"" she said.
The director emphasized there is a plentiful supply of Gardasil available for UW-Madison students.
""There are shortages of a lot of vaccines now'¦ But luckily we haven't had any problems with Gardasil,"" she said. ""It's really important for people to follow the recommended timetable '¦ Cervical cancer is 100 percent preventable.
