INUVIK - Starting this coming school year, girls in Grade 4 in the NWT will be offered vaccinations against HPV, a sexually-transmitted infection that is known to cause cervical cancer.

"One case of a person dying from cervical cancer is too much," said Wanda White, communicable disease specialist with the Department of Health and Social Services, adding there have been 14 deaths attributed to cervical cancer in the NWT over the past 10 years.

"We feel obligated of course to provide the vaccine to every young person in the NWT, and that's what our program is about," said White.

The department has been struggling to get the funding together for the vaccination program since the vaccine came on the market.

Now, with a boost from the federal government, the department will be able to provide the program for at least five years.

"For 2009-10, it doesn't cost the GNWT anything," said Damien Healy, spokesperson for the department.

"We have funds from the federal government in the amount of $388,000 (from) a federal trust fund for provinces and territories to use for start-up costs for HPV programs."

After that, Healy said it will cost the territorial government $331,000 per year until the program ends in 2014.

Then "it'll continue, hopefully," said Healy.