An influential government advisory panel recommended that 11- and 12-year-old girls be routinely vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

The recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) involves Gardasil, which is made by Merck & Co. which is the first vaccine specifically designed to prevent cervical cancer.

 

Approved earlier this month by the Food and Drug Administration for females ages 9 to 26, it protects against strains of the human papilloma virus, or HPV, which causes cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers and genital warts.

Health officials estimate that more than 50 percent of sexually active women and men will be infected with one or more types of human papilloma virus in their lifetimes.

Vaccine proponents say it could dramatically reduce the nearly 4,000 cervical cancer deaths in the United States each year.

"By giving its highest level of recommendation, the panel has placed strong pressure on state governments to make HPV vaccinations mandatory," Linda Klepacki, a Focus on the Family analyst for sexual health, said in a statement.

The vaccine is considered most effective when given to girls before they become sexually active. About 7 percent of children have had sexual intercourse before age 13, and about a quarter of boys and girls have had sex by age 15, according to government surveys.

The committee also voted to add the human papilloma virus vaccine to the coverage list for the federal Vaccines for Children program, which pays for immunizations for the poor.

Some health officials had girded themselves for arguments from religious conservatives and others that vaccinating youngsters against the sexually transmitted virus might make them more likely to have sex. But the controversy never materialized in the panel's public meetings. 

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