Brie Cohen, staff writer

You&8217;ve probably seen the commercials for the new HPV vaccine. In it, young girls strongly proclaim they want to be &8220;one less&8221; person to get cervical cancer. But what is this vaccine that is spurring local and nationwide controversy and interest?

Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. About 45 percent of sexually active people contract the virus. There are more than 100 strains of HPV and some of them can lead to genital warts and cervical cancer in women.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in 2006 and about 3,700 deaths were from cervical cancer in the same year.

A new vaccine, Gardasil, is the first vaccine that prevents four types of HPV that cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Gardasil is a quadrivalent human papilmoavirus L1-like particle vaccine, which means it includes HPV genotypes. The four genotypes it includes cause the most amount of cervical cancer and genital warts. Gardasil, according to Centers for Disease Control, would protect against 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts.

Gardasil is recommended for ages 11-12 but can be taken between the ages of 9-26. The reason behind this age bracket is because the vaccine works best before the individual has had any kind of sexual contact.

Joe Lombardi, a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology at Albert Lea Medical Center, has not given the vaccine to anyone yet, but he said some people have asked about it.

While Lombardi does like that there is a focus to reduce cervical cancer, he would like to see more studies done on the vaccine &8220;so there are no surprises.&8221; The vaccine has no long-term data, so Lombardi said it is unclear how long the vaccine lasts for or how safe the vaccine is because the vaccine was evaluated and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in only six months. However, Lombardi said the manufacturer of Gardasil, Merck & Co., has agreed to conduct these long-term studies.

Some families in Albert Lea are concerned over the message the vaccine sends to young girls.

The Rev. George Marin and Jill Marin are parents of a 12-year-old girl who attends Southwest Middle School. They said they are not at all interested in having her get vaccinated for HPV because the vaccine is preventing a virus that is transmitted sexually. They believe that this vaccine will encourage sexual activity, because &8220;young people will feel completely safe,&8221; George said.

Lombardi disagrees, because the vaccine only protects against a narrow range of infections that sexually activity people can get. People do not need the vaccine to make it all right for them to be sexually active.

&8220;Some people will engage in sex regardless of risk,&8221; Lombardi said.

Lisa Dugger, a nurse for Albert Lea school district, has two daughters, an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old. She plans to have them both vaccinated this summer as part of their routine exam. Dugger has always been very open about discussing sex, risks and consequences with her girls. She would like for them to remain abstinent, but she knows that does not always happen. Dugger is a believer in vaccines and said she wants to do anything she can to prevent an illness

&8220;I don&8217;t want to feel like I couldn&8217;t have protected them,&8221; she said.

Another controversy of the vaccine is if it should be a school requirement. In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry signed an order to require all Texan girls entering sixth grade in 2008 to get the Gardasil vaccine, unless the parents write to opt out of the requirement for religious or philosophic reason. Perry has gotten heat because his re-election campaign was given $6,000 from Merck & Co., and he is the first governor to make the vaccine a requirement.

Albert Lea is not requiring all of its female youngsters to be vaccinated and Dugger thinks that is a good thing. She wants the vaccine to be a choice.

If you do choose to get the vaccine and you do not have health insurance or your health insurance does not cover it, it can be pricey. The three dose series costs $360.

The Tribune could not get in contact with the Freeborn County Public Health Department

before this article published to see if it has the vaccine available, but if it does and you qualify for the Minnesota Vaccine for Children program, there is a $5 donation requested.

If you are covered under your health insurance, you can go to your doctor&8217;s office and about getting vaccinated.