Base immunizations clinic offers protection against certain cancers

Published June 1, 2007
By Staff Sgt. Tiffany Orr
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Gardasil, the vaccine for human papillomavirus, is available to females ages 9 to 26 on a walk-in basis at McChord's Immunization Clinic.

Approved for use in the Air Force in November 2006, the vaccine has been available to females at McChord since early this year, said Capt. Tim Spence, 62nd Medical Operations Squadron.

Though men and women can contract HPV through sexual contact, women are at a greater risk as certain strains of HPV can develop into cervical cancer, precancerous lesions or genital warts, he said.

"Gardasil helps to prevent these diseases," said Captain Spence. "Studies are predicting that the vaccine will decrease the incidence of cervical cancer by 73 percent and genital warts by 90 percent."

Captain Spence recommends administration of the vaccine prior to exposure because Gardasil does not treat the diseases caused by HPV.

In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that nearly 20 million Americans had a form of HPV.

For more information about HPV and Gardasil, see a physician or read the CDC's fact sheet on the virus at http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm.