HPV vaccine: a cornerstone of female health.

摘要

A medical intervention that is a true preventive tool and a good reason for anticipatory guidance and education does not come along often; the new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is both. In June 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended universal administration of three doses of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil) in girls 11 or 12 years of age.1 The recommendation also allows physicians, at their discretion, to immunize girls as young as nine years and to vaccinate women up to 26 years of age.