More evidence for a mandate?: FDA approves Gardasil For Prevention Of Vulvar, Vaginal Cancers

We and other blogger friends have blogged about Gardasil before here and there -- and in a quick and dirty drive-by post, we thought we'd update you on the latest developments:

The AP press reports that federal health officials approved expanding the use of Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine, to prevent cancers of the vagina and vulva:

"The Food and Drug Administration first approved Gardasil in 2006 for the prevention of cervical cancer in girls and women ages 9 to 26. The vaccine works by protecting against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers. The HPV virus, transmitted by sexual contact, causes genital warts that sometimes develop into cancer.

'There is now strong evidence showing that this vaccine can help prevent vulvar and vaginal cancers due to the same virus for which it also helps protect against cervical cancer' said Dr. Jesse Goodman, director of the FDA center that oversees vaccines."

Full Story can be accessed here.