Merck got approval in June from the Food and Drug Administration to market its HPV vaccine to prevent infection from the virus -- which causes genital warts and, in some cases, cervical cancer -- in females between ages nine and 26.

Based on a new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll, 70 percent of respondents supported the widespread use of the HPV vaccine, while 42 percent said they had not heard of HPV.

The polling also showed that women were much more likely than men to have heard of HPV (70 percent versus 47 percent) and of the HPV vaccine (57 percent and 38 percent respectively), but that attitudes toward its use are not very different between the sexes.

In fact, the survey revealed that 75 percent of women and 64 percent of men agree strongly or somewhat that encouraging girls and young women to get the HPV vaccine is a good way to prevent the future spread of cervical cancer.

In addition, 61 percent of parents of girls under 18 years of age would want their daughters to get the vaccine, with 6 percent responding that they definitely would not want the vaccine for their underage daughters, and 32 percent saying they were undecided.

However, 72 percent of these parents supported the inclusion of information on the HPV vaccine in health education classes at school.

The survey polled 2,604 U.S. adults between July 27 and July 31.