Over a year after the 2006 release of Gardasil, the first vaccination for the four most dangerous types of human papillomavirus, many women at Dartmouth have received the shot cost-free since the College began administering it in the Fall of 2007. The virus is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer.
Patients who receive the vaccination, which consists of three shots administered over at least six months, must wait eight weeks between receiving the first and second shots and 16 weeks between the second and third shots. Many students interviewed by The Dartmouth who had received the first shot were concerned they had missed what they perceived as the "deadline" for getting subsequent shots because more than eight weeks had elapsed. Betsy Morse, physician's assistant at the Women's Health Center at Dick's House and the organizer of Dartmouth's HPV program said that a patient may wait longer between shots as long as she receives all three shots within one year
"I think that it's a misconception, but you can pick it right up when you come back to campus," Morse said.
The flexibility of the timing of the shots is particularly advantageous to Dartmouth students, Morse said, as it allows students to plan their appointments around the terms they will be off-campus.
Students do not have to receive all the shots from the same medical establishment, Morse said. Many students received their first shot or shots at home but finished the program by getting subsequent shots from Dick's house, depending on the scheduling of their off-terms.
Several students who received the vaccine from Dick's House were impressed by the smoothness of the process, noting the reminder e-mails sent by Dick's House and the overall speed of the procedures.
The only downside, students said, was the pain associated with the shot.
Gardasil protects the recipient from four of the more than thirty types of HPV, but these four -- HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18 -- are the most dangerous. HPV 16 and 18 cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases while HPV 6 and 11 cause 90 percent of all genital warts.
Though the vaccination costs $360, the Dartmouth College Student Group Health Plan covers the costs, as do most other insurance plans. It is also free for students under the age of 19 because the College participates in New Hampshire's Free Vaccines for Children program.
Older students whose insurance does not cover the vaccine must pay to receive the shots.
Since symptoms of HPV are rare, medical experts advise women to get pap smears to test for the disease even after receiving the vaccine, as they may have been exposed to the virus before receiving the vaccination. Men are also susceptible to the disease but no vaccine has yet been approved for male use.
The Gardasil website advises women to get the vaccination before they become sexually active because the disease can be passed by contact that does not include intercourse. Morse said she believes the College will only offer the vaccination -- which can be given to girls as young as nine -- for a few more years, because she expects that in the near future women will get the vaccination before coming to campus.
Critics of the vaccination have deemed it unnecessary because only 550 women in the United States die from HPV annually. Despite the low death rate, Morse said she believes the vaccine will positively impact women's lives.
"It's going to save a lot of medical dollars and heartache," Morse said, referring to the pain and discomfort that complications from HPV can cause.
