BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhuanet) -- A new vaccine "Gardasil" discovered by an Australian doctor might be vaccinated to little girls against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in U.S., according to media reports Monday.  

   Gardasil protects against 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. There are many strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer and the vaccine only protects against the most common, experts said.

    There are estimated to be around 100 different types of HPV viruses, and nearly 20 million people were affected by theses viruses in the year 2005 in U.S.

    However, the choice to vaccinate little girls is controversial. "Mandatory vaccination for measles makes sense because if you don't vaccinate your child, my child is at higher risk just being at school with unvaccinated children. No one is going to get HPV from casual contact at school. I may choose this vaccine for my daughters, but it is none of your business!" a mother said.  

    Moreover, most cervical cancers can be prevented with regular pap smear tests, which find precancerous growths that can be excised. Most of the women who get cervical cancer haven't had the test done in at least three years.

    It stands to reason that, without a mandatory vaccination, many of the girls who don't get vaccinated will belong to the same groups that fall through the cracks of the patchy U.S. health care system.

    Another problem is that the vaccination costs 360 U.S. dollars, without markup and administration fees. If every sixth grade girl in the United States were vaccinated, (there are about 2 million) it would cost 720 million dollars.

    (Agencies)