Educate yourself about the vaccine then make the choice that makes sense for protecting your children.

You can't always hold her hand, but you can make choices now that will protect her in the future.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—More than 10 percent of middle-school students have sex by the time they blow out 12 candles on a birthday cake, according to a study published this month in the Journal of School Health. Getting an early start on sex increases a person’s odds of developing sexually transmitted diseases, particularly human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Certain dangerous strains of HPV, including some that lead to cervical cancer, can be potentially avoided with a relatively new vaccine for girls and women called Gardasil. Yet, earlier this year, a vaccine watchdog group pointed to a government database listing adverse reactions, including 29 deaths and more than 5,000 emergency room visits, associated with Gardasil. So where does that leave parents?

THE DETAILS: Today, about 20 million people are infected HPV. Many people show no symptoms of the infection, and the human immune system often fights off the virus without any ill effects. But a handful of subtypes of the virus can lead to uncomfortable genital warts, or to precancerous cell development in the cervix that can become cancerous. In 2006, the FDA approved Gardasil, a three-shot vaccine series made by pharmaceutical company Merck. The vaccine protects against two HPV strains that often lead to cervical cancer (and more rarely, vulvar and vaginal cancers), and two that lead to genital warts. The vaccine is currently recommended for girls 9 to 12 years old, ideally before they become sexually active. Many doctors will also give the vaccine to girls and women who are older, although research hasn’t shown if it’s as effective for those age groups. Research is also being done to see if it can protect males too, but for now the vaccine isn’t offered to boys.

WHAT IT MEANS: If you have a daughter, you have an important choice to make. HPV infection is a significant health threat—in 2008, there were 11,070 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,870 deaths associated with the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute—which is why Gardasil has been called a breakthrough, with the potential to prevent millions of cases of cancer. But the vaccine is new, which means it’s not completely clear how long its protection against certain HPV strains will last. Research down the road may show that previously inoculated girls need booster shots. And the scary accounts on the government’s Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), suggesting Gardasil played a part in nearly 30 deaths, are likely to give any parent pause.

Here’s how to make the best decision for you and your daughter: