WASHINGTON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Drug Administration(FDA) of the United States on Thursday announced the approval of Gardasil, the first vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer.

    The vaccine, which also prevents precancerous genital lesions as well as genital warts due to human papilloma virus (HPV) types 6,11, 16 and 18, has also been approved for use in females aged between nine and 26.

    Gardasil was evaluated and approved within six months under FDA's priority review process -- a process for products with potential to provide significant health benefits.

    "Today is an important day for public health and for women's health, and for our continued fight against serious life-threatening diseases like cervical cancer," said Alex Azar, Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

    The HPV is the most common sexually-transmitted infection in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 6.2 million Americans become infected with genital HPV each year and that over half of all sexually active men and women become infected at some time in their lives.

    On average, there are 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,700 deaths attributed to the disease in the United States each year.

    Cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women worldwide, is estimated to have more than 470,000 new cases and cause 233,000 deaths each year.

    For most women, the body's own defense system will clear the virus, and infected women do not develop HPV-related health problems.

    However, some HPV types can cause abnormal cells on the lining of the cervix that years later can turn into cancer. And other HPV types can cause genital warts.

    The vaccine is effective to prevent the infection of HPV types 16 and 18, which cause approximately 70 percent of cervical cancers, and to prevent that of HPV types 6 and 11, which cause approximately 90 percent of genital warts.

    Gardasil, manufactured by Merck and Co.,Inc., is a recombinant vaccine (contains no live virus), which is given as three injections over a six-month period.

    The safety of the vaccine was evaluated in about 11,000 individuals. Most adverse experiences reported by the study participants who received Gardasil are mild or moderate local reactions, such as pain or tenderness at the site of injection. Enditem