A one-time human papillomavirus vaccine program is being offered to women in B.C. born in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
“We have been offering the school-based HPV vaccination program since 2008, which has helped to protect thousands of British Columbian girls from cervical cancer,” said provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall. “I am pleased that with this program, we can expand that to ensure that all young British Columbian women aged 21 and under will have had an opportunity to protect themselves.”
HPV infections are the cause of almost all cases of cervical cancer. It’s estimated the vaccine can prevent up to 70 per cent of these cancers, as well as a number of pre-cancerous changes to the cervix that require treatment.
The vaccine will be available to eligible women starting mid-April through pharmacists, physicians, sexual health and youth clinics, public health units and post-secondary health services. It is administered in three doses over a six-month period.
For more information visit immunizebc.ca/diseases-vaccinations/hpv.
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