Planned Parenthood of Northern New York is offering Gardasil, a vaccination that helps protect women against four types of human papillomavirus, or HPV, that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer, free to women ages 19 to 26.

Before receiving a one-year $66,000 state Department of Health grant this year, the agency never offered the vaccine, which is U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved for females ages 9 to 26, to women of that age group.

Theresa S. "Tess" Barker, Planned Parenthood spokeswoman, said that although the vaccine is offered free for children ages 9 to 18 through the federally funded Vaccines for Children program, many women outside of that age group opt not to get the vaccine because of the cost.

"Once you're 19, there's cost involved, unless you come to Planned Parenthood," she said. "It's $120 a dose, but providers can add an extra cost for administering the vaccine."

That amount shouldn't deter young women from receiving Gardasil, she said, because Planned Parenthood offers the no-cost option.

When the one-year grant is up, however, Cancer Services Projects will pick up the cost so other women ages 19 to 26 can still receive the vaccine for free, Mrs. Barker said.

Through that program, women would go to Planned Parenthood's health centers, and Cancer Services, which is headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., then would be billed by Planned Parenthood.

With HPV as an easily transmitted disease, Mrs. Barker said, there's no reason parents shouldn't bring their young children or young women up to age 26 to be vaccinated.

Sexually active women are encouraged to get the vaccine.

"If you have one form of HPV, the vaccine could provide protection for the other three forms," she said.

The vaccine is offered only for women, but because HPV can cause penile and anal cancer in men, as well as genital warts, Merck, the vaccine's manufacturer, is working on studies to evaluate the efficiency of Gardasil in 16- to 26-year-old men.

One of the reasons for this study, said Jennifer Allen, director of global communications for Merck, is that men can unknowingly transmit HPV to their partners, putting them at risk for developing HPV-related diseases, including cervical cancer.

Since Gardasil's launch in 2006, she said, more than 26 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed globally, with about 16.7 million distributed throughout the nation.

On a local level, health professionals are noticing a steady increase in females ages 9 to 26 requesting the vaccine.

"We're giving away lots of it," said Donna R. Grant, Jefferson County supervising public health nurse. "I order a hundred doses at a time, and we do orders once a month."

The public health agency is giving the most vaccinations to girls ages 11 to 18.

Three shots make up the Gardasil series.

The county health agency charges $150 per dose for women ages 19 to 26, Mrs. Grant said. Although the vaccine cost might seem high, it's cheaper than treating cervical cancer.

"It's such a good preventative health measure," she said.

Women and young girls also are showing up at every St. Lawrence County Public Health clinic to receive the vaccine, said Patricia N. Ward, St. Lawrence County Public Health's director of preventive services.

The agency charges $135 per dose for women ages 19 to 26 to receive the vaccine.

Gardasil is offered at many providers throughout the north country, including the North Country Children's Clinic, where spokeswoman Elaine P. Garvey said more than 175 doses have been given out since January.

The bulk of those vaccinations, she said, have been done at the agency's school-based health clinics at Watertown High School, Case Middle School and Wiley Intermediate School.