The Federal Government has announced a national vaccination program for the cervical cancer drug, Gardasil. From next April all girls aged 12 and 13 will be vaccinated, while a catch-up program will also operate through schools for those aged up to 18.
The Australian government will fund a $A436 million ($NZ481m) national campaign to provide the anti-cervical cancer drug Gardasil to young girls, Prime Minister John Howard has said.
GARDASIL is the only vaccine that may help guard against diseases that are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) Types 6, 11, 16, and 18:
? Cervical cancer
? Cervical abnormalities that can sometimes lead to cervical cancer
? Genital warts
HPV Types 16 and 18 cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and HPV Types 6 and 11 cause 90% of genital warts cases.