Girls in Ontario will have the option to get the Gardasil vaccine at no cost, but will not be required to do so. Public health nurses will provide the vaccine, which is comprised of a three-shot course of treatment, at schools.
Gardasil prevents four strains of HPV that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.
In announcing that it will provide HPV vaccines for girls, Ontario joins the province of Nova Scotia, which announced its vaccination program for 7th grade girls in June. Prince Edward Island also plans to offer the vaccine to 6th grade girls.
The vaccination program is supported by The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, which has also urged other provinces to implement vaccination programs. However, a recent paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal argues against a universal vaccine at this time on grounds that the vaccine has limitations and should be studied further.
Cervical cancer is diagnosed in about 1,400 women in Canada each year, and the disease kills about 400 Canadian women annually.
