Is vaccination against cervical cancer effective?

Q: I am a 34 years old female. I have heard about newly invented vaginal cancer vaccination in preventing uterus and vaginal cancer in married women above 30 years of age. I want to know the effectiveness of the vaginal cancer vaccination. Are there any side effects associated with vaccination?

A:The cervical cancer vaccine is most effective if given before sexual debut and between ages of 9-26 years of age. The efficacy is about 70-80% for cervical cancer and about 50% for vaginal cancer. It can be given to older women up to 45 years of age but efficacy in this group is lower. Roughly 50 million vaccines have been given to date worldwide and appear to be safe.