Editorial | A step ahead in health care

Have you heard of the human papillomavirus?

You should have, because it already affects 20 million Americans. The virus causes 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Genital HPV is spread through skin-to-skin contact, unlike most STDs. More important for college students, however, is the fact that 74 percent of the 6 million diagnosed cases of HPV occurred in people between the ages of 18 to 24.

But, for a change, Penn is ahead of the game.

A vaccine, called Gardisil, has been developed to prevent HPV in women younger than 26, and it represents a major step forward in the fight against cervical cancer. It has the opportunity to save many lives here and abroad - cervical-cancer deaths could jump to 1 million per year by 2050, mainly in developing nations.

And Penn's Student Health Office began offering vaccinations to students last month, before some of its peers and at much lower prices than other schools who also offer vaccinations.

Neither Harvard University nor Yale University currently offer the vaccine. And at Cornell and New York universities, where the vaccine is offered, it costs $495 and $465, respectively.

Penn offers the vaccine for $390.

At a school where complaints about the Student Health Office are easy to come by, taking a proactive approach to health care is a welcome change for many students. Penn administrators must make it a top priority to get Gardisil included in health-insurance plans.

But whether it is covered or not, vaccinations are a great step.

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