Alberta health officials and Roman Catholic Church leaders in the province have turned a vaccination issue into a public debate, when the Calgary Catholic School Division disallowed schoolgirls to receive vaccination against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus or HPV.

The Calgary Herald reported that Bishop Fred Henry believes that vaccination against STDs is in effect allowing sexual promiscuity and premarital sex among Catholic schoolgirls.

"This is an issue of public health, not of morality," the paper said.

To quell growing public protest, the Church agreed to send information materials to parents who may want their daughters vaccinated with Gardasil for free.

Merck, which manufactures Gardasil, said that aside from protection against four types of HPV, the major cause of cervical cancer and genital warts, Gardasil can control 10 other strains of HPV, which also cause 20 percent of gynecological cancers.

Calgary Herald added, citing the College of Family Physicians of Canada, that cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among Canadian women.

CFP said mass vaccination against HPV is similar with other types of mass vaccinations such as those for polio and mumps.

CFP was reportedly mulling the vaccination of boys as HPV is also responsible for a certain type of cancer in men.