August 28, 2007
Contact: Bev Pfeifer-Harms
Director of Communications
314.345.5500 office

Number of Distribution Sites, Interest Grows for HPV Vaccine

Grants Provide Vaccine to Uninsured and Underinsured Females

St. Louis - Missouri parents who want to ensure their children have all the necessary immunizations and are protected against future diseases are encouraged to consider adding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the medical routine for daughters ages 9-26. The vaccine, Gardasil®, is now available at no charge to qualified females through more than 125 health centers and clinics around the state.

Earlier this year, the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) announced an $11 million grant to provide Gardasil for 30,000 uninsured and underinsured Missouri girls and women. The vaccine prevents cervical cancer in females caused by certain types of HPV.

Gardasil, which was developed by Merck & Co., Inc., has been available in the U.S. since mid-2006 following approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At the same time, the national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended it for females ages 9-26. However, the vaccine's commercial cost - about $360 for the three-dose regimen - limits access for low-income and uninsured girls and women.

The MFH grant enables health care providers to provide the vaccine free of charge to girls and women ages 9-26 not covered by adequate insurance or who do not qualify for Missouri's free Vaccines For Children (VFC) program. There are 125 vaccine distribution sites in the MFH service region, which includes 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. Through a separate $2 million grant from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, there are 12 additional distribution sites for the HPV vaccine in the Kansas City, MO area. A complete list of the participating health centers in both the MFH service area and Kansas City can be found on the MFH website at www.mffh.org/hpv.html.

Established in 2000, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in Missouri. MFH is in its sixth year of grantmaking, having issued more than $230 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured, underinsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

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