GENEVA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland on Monday joined a growing number of European nations by recommending that girls between 11 and 14 be vaccinated against cervical cancer, the official Swiss info website reported.

The Swiss Federal Health Office said that cervical cancer, a usually sexually-transmitted disease, was the second most frequent form of cancer among woman worldwide after breast cancer.

More than 5,000 Swiss women are diagnosed with the preliminary stage of cervical cancer every year, and more than 300 of them contract the full-blown disease resulting in 90 deaths.

Cervical cancer is caused by the transmission of human papilloma virus or HPVs. Some types can cause benign skin warts while high-risk HPVs are responsible for more serious diseases such as cervical cancer.

The Swiss Health Office estimates that around 70 percent of all sexually active men and women are infected with a form of HPV once in their lives, with the highest risk among Swiss men and women between the ages of 16 and 25.

Statistics show that half of all teenage girls in Switzerland have their first sexual encounter by 16. Therefore the authorities are recommending the vaccination well before they reach that age.

Without regular check-ups and smear tests, the disease can go undetected since there are no symptoms.

The Swiss Federal Vaccine Commission, which issued the recommendation on behalf of the Health Office, said the approved-drug Gardasil could guard against two of the high-risk HPV types, which are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

The Swiss recommendation follows similar moves by Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Luxembourg and Belgium.