The cervical cancer vaccine, known as Gardasil, is agenetically engineered vaccine which prevents cervicalcancer by blocking infection with two viruses called HPV 16and 18. These two virus together cause about 70 percent ofcervical cancers.

The final-stage study of the cervical cancer vaccineGardasil included more than 10,000 women ages 16 to 26 inthe United States and 12 other countries. All weresexually active and were not infected with HPV 16 or 18.Half got three vaccine doses over six months; the other halfreceived dummy shots.

After six months, none of the women who were virus free andwho received the vaccine developed either cervical cancer orprecancerous lesions likely to turn cancerous during a twoyear follow up. Twenty one women who got the dummy shotshad a virus.

Merck & Co., the developer, jubilantly announced the resultsof their cervical cancer vaccine research on October 6th,2005, saying that a 100% efficacy rate is extremely rare.

A second analysis was also done, this time involvinghundreds more women. It showed that the vaccine was 97percent effective after just one dose. Only oneof the 5,736 women who got the vaccine developed cervicalcancer or precancerous lesions, compared with 36 among the5,766 who got dummy shots.

A Merck official called the 97 percent rate "real world,"since patients sometimes miss or delay follow-up shots ortests.  Therefore, even though the vaccine is available,some women may not get it before they contract the disease.

"I see this as a phenomenal breakthrough," said Dr. GloriaBachmann, director of The Women's Health Institute at RobertWood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.

But she added that vaccinations would have to begin early tohave maximum impact. "In grammar school, middle school, highschool, before girls become sexually active," she said.

Dr. Kevin Ault, a professor at Emory University, told CNN,"We are talking about maybe a generation or two of women toreceive this vaccine before we get to no more pap smears. Iguess the best example I could give you would be Germanmeasles... That vaccine became available in the late '60s inthe United States, and it was just last year that ourcolleagues at the CDC reported that there were no cases ofcongenital rubella in the United States."

Numerous health officials warned that women will still needto have reular checkups and pap smears.

NBC News has reported that some religious groups fear thatthe availability of a cervical cancer vaccine will lessenthe worry of contracting the disease and lead to increasedsexual activity.

Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer in womenand their No. 2 cause of cancer deaths. About three thousandwomen die of cervical cancer in  the U.S. each year, andabout three hundred thousand women around the world arecervical cancer victims.

For additional information, including symptoms of cervicalcancer and options for cervical cancer prevention andcervical cancer treatment, click on .