The government approved on Thursday, June 14th, a vaccine against the human papillomavirus to prevent cervix cancer. The decision was made by the board of directors of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), after having verified, at an international level, its effectiveness.  The vaccine (Gardasil, Gardasil 9 or Cervarix) consists of two doses to be applied six months apart from each other , always and when the person is under 14 years old.

Quality controls, both national and international, guarantee safety and effectiveness at the time of application. These vaccines will help prevent the 700 cases of women who are diagnosed annually with this disease.

As of 2019, all 10-year-old girls will start receiving this vaccine. Immunization has proven to be efficient only if it is done before contact with the virus. By the end of next year, 35 thousand young women will be protected by this vaccine.