In the first government-backed survey conducted since Gardasil, the vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), made its market debut in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about 25% of all American girls between the ages of 13 and 17 have been vaccinated against HPV, responsible for about 70% of all cases of cervical cancer.

Four strains of HPV are known to cause cervical cancer, which kills about 4,000 women in the United States each year, and the Gardasil vaccine targets all four of these deadly strains.  All forms of HPV are transmitted sexually, an issue that may be causing some parents to delay or shun vaccinations for their daughters.

The official recommendation is that girls be vaccinated when they are 11 or 12 years old, long before most girls become sexually active.  The vaccine only works when there has been no previous exposure to the virus before vaccination.  Another reason for vaccination at this age is that all children are due for a booster round of immunizations at age 11, making this a very convenient time to get the Gardasil vaccination, too.

Another obstacle blocking a 100% vaccination rate is the vaccination’s $375 price tag, which healthcare insurance providers are now starting to cover.  The unanswerable question of lifetime immunity is another contributing factor to the current low rate of vaccination, with many doctors, parents, and young women wondering if additional booster shots might be needed in the future.

The CDC survey was conducted in late 2007 by telephone calls to households.  Almost 3,000 girls, aged 13 to 17, responded.  The research team used the respondents’ medical records to verify vaccination.