New Zealand women now have access to Gardasil, the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine. There is now some debate about how best to deliver the vaccine. The target age for administering Gardasil is about 11 because the vaccine works best when given to girls before they begin having sex and run the risk of HPV infection. It has been licensed for use in females aged between nine and 26. The course of three injections costs $450 and has not yet been approved for inclusion in the government-funded schedule of childhood vaccinations. A Health Ministry committee is assessing whether to add Gardasil to the schedule, along with other vaccinations designed to protect against chicken pox, rotavirus, pneumococcal disease and types of meningococcal disease other than the B strain. Immunisation Advisory Centre director Nikki Turner said she was keen to see all these vaccines, which had been proven safe and effective, added to the childhood schedule. ‘New Zealand has to think very hard and fast about preventive health and where these vaccines fit,’ she told the New Zealand Herald. When Medsafe approved the vaccine in July, principal technical specialist Dr Stewart Jessamine said study […]