The FDA has approved Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil for girls and women aged 9 – 26. The vaccine is administered three times over six months at a price tag of $360. On June 29, the Centers for Disease Control will consider whether to mandate the vaccine for girls aged 11 – 12. (The vaccine needs to be administered before the person becomes sexually active and potentially exposed to the virus that causes the disease). As the father of two daughters, I am very pleased by this news.