Online Ledger, March 1, 2007 ATLANTA -- The first survey of a broad age range of U.S. women finds that more than 25 percent are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), thought to be the cause of most cases of cervical cancer. Experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted the study, say the numbers support the vaccination of young girls and college-age women with the newly approved HPV vaccine. In the meantime, another expert says it remains important that women of all ages get a regular Pap smear to check for the early signs of cervical cancer. "Women who are vaccinated for HPV would still need to get Pap smears according to regular clinical guidelines, since there are still some types of HPV not covered by the vaccine that are oncogenic," explains Susan Weller, co-author of a related editorial in The Journal of the American Medical Association and a professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.