Alberta Health is taking all the necessary steps before deciding whether to offer a new vaccination that protects against cervical cancer for free, said a provincial spokesman.
 
On Thursday, the Alberta NDP called on the province to stop delaying, saying Alberta should immediately offer a free human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination program for girls and young women.

But Howard May, spokesman for Alberta Health and Wellness, said a few bureaucratic steps remain before the province can make that decision.

HPV can lead to cervical cancer. The disease kills about 400 women in Canada each year, although rates are falling.

Health Canada has approved the vaccine Gardasil for protection against HPV and an advisory committee recommended it for girls as young as nine, before they become sexually active.

In Alberta the vaccine is available with a doctor's prescription for about $475.

Waiting on a report: May

Every province is waiting for a report from a national body called the National Advisory Committee on Immunization about the cost effectiveness of the vaccine, May said.

"After the Canadian group comes back with their recommendations to us, we then look at it from the Alberta perspective and consider if there is any additional information we need to add to the analysis to make a decision for Albertans."
 
The manufacturer of the vaccine has been lobbying for provinces to pay for it. The company is also paying women's groups in the U.S. and some professional groups such as the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of Canada to promote the product.

Earlier this month in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry signed an order making it the first state to require that schoolgirls be vaccinated against HPV.

Some conservatives and parents rights groups said they fear the requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way parents raise their children.