P.E.I. girls to receive HPV vaccine

Money set aside in the federal budget for vaccines against HPV, a virus known to lead to cervical cancer, is enough to start a program on P.E.I., says the province.

P.E.I.'s share of the $300 million program will be about $1.3 million, and health officials estimate it would cost about $400,000 to run a program on P.E.I.

"It is likely that we will target females at the late elementary or the early junior high level, probably around Grade 6," said Health Minister Chester Gillan Tuesday.

"We just want to be sure that that is the proper age level for this vaccine."

The federal program runs for three years, but Gillan said the province would then take over the costs of administering the program.

The new HPV vaccine came on the market last July and is considered one of the most successful measures a young girl can take to prevent cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women between the ages of 20 and 44. It kills about 400 women in Canada each year.