The Student Health Center announced earlier this year it would begin administering the HPV vaccine Gardasil by the end of February, but the vaccine is on back order and expected to arrive by the beginning of next week, according to Health Center Director Daniel Bruey.
On March 20, the Health Center Web site still stated that the Gardasil vaccines were expected to arrive by the end of February. Bruey told The Eagle that day that the site would "be updated by the end of the day today."
As of production, the Health Center Web site said, "the Student Health Center has ordered the vaccine but has not received it. We expect our shipment by the end of March. Our Web site will be updated when we receive the vaccine."
HPV, short for the human papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted disease that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said will infect at least 50 percent of sexually active people within their lifetimes. In the past, the only way to prevent getting infected with the virus was to abstain from sexual activity, according to the CDC.
Administering the HPV vaccine to women ages 9 through 26, as recommended by the CDC, can prevent HPV from being transferred to those vaccinated.
Though the Student Health Center has not received its shipment of Gardasil yet, Bruey said if students obtain the vaccine from a pharmacy with a prescription from a physician, the Health Center can administer the injection.
Bruey also said the Student Health Center "has provided students with information on where they could get the vaccine if they opted not to wait until the arrival of our shipment."
Aaron Luce, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said he liked the Health Center's efforts in offering good replacement alternatives for administering the vaccine while it is on back order.
"The Student Health Center is being as accommodating as possible," he said.
Olivia Zetter, a freshman in the School of International Service, said students may not use the vaccine until they can obtain it easily from the Health Center.
"It is a good idea for them to provide options," she said. "But until they acquire the vaccine, I do not think people will put that much effort into acquiring it for themselves."
Gardasil, according to the drug's Web site, is a three-step vaccination treatment. To receive full benefits, three doses of the vaccine must be given at specific intervals over a six-month period, according to the Web site.
The Student Health Center receives approximately one to two inquiries per day about the vaccine, according to Bruey.
To receive more information on Gardasil or HPV, students can contact the Health Center.
