Disclaimer:
This medical
information is designed as an aid only for the
patients of
Drs. Concannon & Vitale.
It is not a substitute for a medical
exam and direct
advice from your physician.
HPV
Vaccine (Gardasil®)
This important vaccine for girls 11-26 is now available in our
office. While not available through the RI Department of Health
yet, we will order it direct from the manufacturer to offer to our
patients only. As of now, only Blue Cross Healthmate insured
patients can get the cost of this vaccine and administration covered by
their insurance plan. Other health insurance plans are not yet
covering the costs as of September 2006
- The cost of
each dose of this vaccine, including associated costs of shipping and
handling, and for ordering and storage is $120.
- The
cost of having the physician prepare and administer the vaccine will be
$15 for each dose.
- The total
cost is therefore $135 per dose, or $405 for the full three dose series.
- A
separate office visit charge for each dose given may also be submitted
by Drs.
Concannon & Vitale to the health insurance carrier.
- An
invoice for the vaccine, which when submitted together with the receipt
for
office services, might allow a claim for reimbursement from other
health insurance
carriers. We will give you a copy of our invoice if you ask.
- Payment
in full must be made at the time of each vaccination dose.
Drs. Concannon & Vitale, LLC
accepts cash, MasterCard/VISA, and personal checks.
Human
Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine: What you need to
know.
What is HPV?
Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) is
the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. There
are about 40 types of HPV. About 20
million people in the U.S. are infected, and about 6.2 million more get
infected each year. HPV is spread through
sexual contact. Most HPV infections don’t cause any symptoms, and go
away on their own. But HPV is important
mainly because it can cause cervical
cancer in women. Every year in the
U.S. about 10,000 women get cervical cancer and 3,700 die from it. It is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths
among women around the world. HPV
is also associated with several less common types of cancer in both men
and women. It can also cause genital warts
and warts in the upper respiratory tract. More than
50 percent of sexually active men and women are infected with HPV at
sometime in their lives. There is no treatment for HPV
infection, but the conditions it causes can be treated.
HPV
vaccine. Why get vaccinated?
HPV vaccine is an inactivated (not
live) vaccine which protects against 4 major types of HPV. These
include 2 types that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer and 2
types that cause about 90 percent of genital warts. HPV vaccine can prevent
most genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer. Protection
from HPV vaccine is expected to be long-lasting. But
vaccinated women still need cervical cancer screening because the
vaccine does not protect against all HPV types that cause cervical
cancer.
Who should get HPV vaccine
and when?
Routine
Vaccination
• HPV vaccine is routinely recommended for
girls 11 and 12 years of age. Doctors may give it to girls as young as 9
years. It is given as a 3-dose series:
1st Dose:
Now
2nd Dose: 2
months after Dose 1
3rd Dose:
6 months after Dose 1
Why is HPV vaccine given to girls at
this age?
It is important for girls to get HPV
vaccine before their first
sexual contact – because they have not been exposed to HPV. For these girls, the vaccine can prevent
almost 100 percent of disease caused by the 4 types of HPV targeted by
the vaccine. However, if a girl or woman is already
infected with a type of HPV, the vaccine will not prevent disease from
that type.
Catch-Up Vaccination • The vaccine is also recommended for girls and
women 13 through 26 years of age who
did not receive it when they were younger.
No booster doses are recommended at this ti
me.
HPV vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.
Some girls or women should not get HPV
vaccine or should wait.
- Anyone who has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to yeast, to any other component of HPV vaccine,
or to a previous dose of HPV vaccine
should not get the vaccine. Tell your
doctor if the person getting the vaccine has any severe allergies.
- Pregnant women should not
get the vaccine. The vaccine appears to be safe for both the mother and
the unborn baby, but it is still being studied. Receiving HPV vaccine
when pregnant is not a reason
to consider terminating the pregnancy. Women
who are breast feeding may safely get the vaccine. Any
woman who learns that she was pregnant when she got HPV vaccine is
encouraged to call the HPV vaccine in
pregnancy registry at 800-986-8999. Information from this
registry will help us learn how pregnant women respond to the vaccine.
- People who are mildly ill when the shot is scheduled can still
get HPV vaccine. People with moderate or severe illnesses
should wait until they recover.
What are the risks from HPV
vaccine?
HPV vaccine does not appear to cause
any serious side effects. However, a vaccine, like any
medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe
allergic reactions. The risk of any vaccine causing serious harm, or
death, is extremely small. Several
mild problems may occur with HPV vaccine:
- Pain at the injection site (about 8 people in 10)
- Redness or swelling at the injection site (about 1 person in 4)
- Mild fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit) (about 1 person in 10)
- Itching at the injection site (about 1 person in 30)
- Moderate fever (102 degrees Fahrenheit) (about 1 person in 65)
These symptoms do not last long and go
away on their own. Life-threatening allergic
reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it would be
within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination. Like
all vaccines, HPV vaccine will continue to be monitored for unusual or
severe problems.
What if there is a severe reaction?
What should I look for?
- Any unusual condition, such as a high fever or behavior changes.
Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing,
hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or
dizziness.
What should I do if there is a severe reaction?
- Call a doctor, or get the
person to a doctor right away.
- Tell your doctor what
happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was
given.
- Ask your doctor, nurse,
or health department to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse
Event Reporting System (VAERS) form. Or you can file this report
through the VAERS website at www.vaers.hhs.gov,
or by calling 1-800-822-7967. VAERS does not provide medical advice.
How can I learn more?
- Ask your doctor or nurse. They can
show you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources
of information.
- Call your local or state health department.
- Contact
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC): at 1-800-232-4636
(1-800-CDC-
INFO) or visit CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/std/hpv
and www.cdc.gov/nip
Department of Health and Human
Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Vaccine Information Statement (Interim)
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine
9/5/06
HPV
Vaccine Information Statement (CDC.gov)
LastRev
09/2006 HPVVaccine.html