Idaho Legislature has not weighed in on controversial shots against HPV

Idaho so far has no plans to require 6th-grade girls to get a controversial series of vaccinations to protect them against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer. Every state must decide how it will proceed after the Food and Drug Administration approved the costly shots in summer 2006.

By early 2007, about two dozen state legislatures moved forward with plans ranging from requiring the shots to finding ways to make them more affordable. For Idaho, the timing was wrong for 2007, said Dieuwke A. Spencer, bureau chief for clinical services at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

"What happened with this vaccine is it wasn't approved until so late that we were not able to get it into the system this legislative session," Spencer said. The 2008 legislative session looks more likely.

Critics of efforts in other states suggest the shots could be unsafe, could encourage young girls to have sex or could threaten the rights of families to decide health matters on their own. The shots appear to be getting more popular in Idaho and the Treasure Valley. No exact figures are available, but here are clues:

- Through late winter of this year, the Central District Health Department, which serves Ada County and three adjoining counties, administered shots to 151 teens or tweens.

- During the same time, Blue Cross and Regence BlueShield combined paid more than 500 claims for shots.

"Since this is such a new service, utilization may grow as parents have their children vaccinated at an annual check-up, rather than making a special office visit for this service," said Karen Early, spokeswoman for Blue Cross, in an e-mail.

Public health officials hope the numbers will keep going up. "I think that with education, parents will make a decision to protect their daughters from the risk of cervical cancer," said Teresa Phillips, immunization program manager for the Central District Health Department.

In the summer of 2006, the vaccine was added to a growing list of immunizations recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A CDC committee recommends it for girls 11 or 12 years old, as well as for some older girls and women.

HPV, or the human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most kinds of HPV are not linked to cancer, and even the kinds that are will usually clear up on their own. But a few can trigger an infection that leads to cervical cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The vaccine isn't cheap. Girls need three doses, at about $140 each, but Idaho's largest insurers, Blue Cross of Idaho and Regence BlueShield of Idaho, now cover the vaccine. The amount depends on your coverage.

Thanks to federal funding, the vaccine was made available free starting in March for some low-income girls. Providing the HPV vaccine free or at low cost to all Idaho kids would take state money, and that requires a thumbs-up from the Legislature.