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A new vaccine that can prevent Cervical Cancer has been available for several months but it seems only a few women in the Ozarks have gotten the vaccine even though it's widely available.
The vaccine protects against certain strains of HPV, a common sexually transmitted disease that can cause cervical cancer.
The prime target for the vaccine is young women yet the clinic at Missouri State University has administered only 4 shots. St John's clinics have requested only 189 doses from the pharmacy even though the clinics serve thousands of patients. And Cox Health Systems has billed its 55 clinics for 32 doses of the vaccine.
KSMU's Emily Nash has more on the vaccine itself and why it appears the demand for the vaccine among women seems so low.
In June 2006, the FDA approved a new vaccine that would prevent one of the leading causes of Cervical Cancer in women.
The new HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is approved for women ages 9-26 and protects them against 4 different types of Human Papilloma Virus.
These four types of HPV are responsible for about 70 percent of Cervical Cancer cases and 90 percent of genital warts cases.
Dr. Annett Wardell is a Clinical Physician at Taylor Health and Wellness Center on the Missouri State University Campus.
She says the HPV virus is the most common sexually transmitted disease.
It's been three months since the FDA approved the vaccine..
But the number of women who are taking advantage of the shot appears to be very small.
Taylor Health and Wellness Center has administered only two shots since it began offering the vaccine in August.
The Greene County Health Department has administered the shot to 32 women so far.
Jaci McReynolds is the Public Health Information Specialist at the Springfield Greene County Health Department.
She says the biggest thing stopping women from getting the shot is the price.
Dr. Wardell of Taylor Health and Wellness says most insurance companies should start covering the HPV vaccine within the next year.
The price isn't the only thing stopping women from getting the vaccine.
Wasana (Wa-sa-na) Pongprasirt (Pon-pa-sert), a sophomore at Missouri State, says she wants to wait for more research to be done on the shot before she takes it.
The shot has been developed for the past 10 years and Dr. Wardell says it has proven to be very reliable.
So far, there have been no medical reactions besides normal discomfort in the arm from where the shot is administered.
Some Springfield health clinics are not offering the HPV vaccine yet, but are making plans to have it available within the next year..
Because the shot is recommended for girls as young as 9, some people have opposed widespread use of the vaccine for young girls and teens saying it encourages girls to become sexually active at a younger age.
Gayle Moffet, a sophomore at Missouri State, says more information needs to be provided about the shot to help counteract this misconception.
Over 10,000 women in US have Cervical Cancer and about 4,000 die from it every year.
That's according to figures from Taylor Health and Welness Center Physician Dr. Wardell.
For KSMU, I'm Emily Nash
