The announcement last week that New Hampshire will become the first state to offer cervical cancer vaccines free to all girls is a progressive public health step.
Colorado public health officials tell us they, too, will begin offering the controversial immunization next year as part of the standard roster of childhood vaccines available to poor children.
Both are laudable decisions that will make a difference in women’s health.
It is a blessing of medical technology that an immunization is available to prevent this disease, which is the second most deadly cancer in women.
While its creation was widely hailed, the vaccine also has generated criticism that it would encourage promiscuity, since the virus that causes cervical cancer is sexually transmitted. The debate raised questions about how widely the shot would be available.
The vaccine is most effective when administered to young girls. It protects them against the human papilloma virus, which can cause cancerous lesions. Each year, 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3,700 die from it.
We hope that public health officials across the country are buoyed by New Hampshire’s – and now Colorado’s – move and consider taking the same step. Many diseases have been eradicated by a simple innoculation, and this one deserves to join their ranks.
