The Missouri Foundation of Health has issued an $11 million grant to provide the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil to 30,000 women and girls not covered by insurance or Missouri’s free Vaccines For Children program. Women and girls ages 9-26 can receive the vaccine free of charge at any one of 139 health centers and clinics around the state. An interactive map of health clinics and centers can be found on the Missouri Foundation of Health website .
The HPV vaccine is given in three doses over a period of six months, and costs $360. The series of three vaccinations prevents the strains of HPV that cause 70-percent of cervical cancer. When combined with a regular Pap screen, the vaccine can greatly reduce the number of deaths cause by cervical cancer, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
