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HELENA - A vaccine that helps prevent infection by the virus that causes most cervical cancer is now available at Montana public health clinics statewide thanks to funds provided by the 2007 Legislature and distributed by the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

DPHHS purchased 3,960 doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and supplied it to 73 Montana public health care centers, including county health departments, Title X family planning clinics and community health centers and Indian Health Service/Tribal sites.

Because three doses of the vaccine are needed to protect against infection, this supply could vaccinate about 1,300 women.

The 2007 Legislature approved the use of $400,000 in state funds to help provide the vaccine to girls and women who have insurance, but the high deductible or co-pay deters them from seeking this vaccine, and low-income women age 19-26 who cannot afford the vaccine.

Women and parents of young daughters who believe they fall under these basic requirements are being encouraged to first check what their insurance covers and then make an appointment at the nearest public health clinic to confirm their eligibility.

This funding also covers those not eligible for the federal program known as Vaccines for Children, which provide free vaccines to children and adolescents less than 18 years of age who are either Medicaid-eligible, American Indian/Alaska Native or uninsured.

The HPV vaccine has been proven highly effective in preventing four types of HPV in young women who have not been previously exposed to the virus. Infection from two of these types cause up to 70 percent of cervical cancers.

Although there is no direct evidence at this time that the cervical cancer rate will decrease, health officials hope that preventing infection with these HPV types will lead to lower cervical cancer rates in the future. The vaccine does not treat existing HPV infections or their complications.

The current recommendation is to vaccinate 11 to 12-year-old girls as well as females ages 13 to 26 not previously vaccinated or who have not completed the full vaccine series. The vaccine helps prevent genital warts due to HPV, a common virus that is passed on through sexual contact.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2007, more than 11,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 3,600 women will die from the disease.

Cervical cancer in Montana is rare with fewer than eight cases per 100,000 women at risk diagnosed each year, and fewer than two deaths per 100,000 women.

For more information on the HPV vaccine: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hpv/default.htm.

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