The check made out to the Utah Department of Health, which announced the gift Wednesday, will pay for a public awareness campaign and Gardasil, a vaccine that shields females from contracting a sexually transmitted virus that can cause the deadly disease.

It is the second time in two years that private benefactors have stepped in to finance public health concerns that the Legislature declined to address.

Last year, after lawmakers cut the Medicaid dental program, billionaire James Sorenson, Utah's richest man who made a fortune on medical devices and real estate, and Intermountain Healthcare, gave $1 million each to provide care to the poor and disabled.

"My quest in life and my pledge in death . . . is to assist in the eradication of cancer in all its ugly mannerisms, irrespective of cause," Huntsman said in a letter to the health department.

Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Salt Lake City, had attempted to persuade the Legislature to spend $1 million to raise public awareness and provide immunizations to underinsured and uninsured females. But the bill was opposed by conservatives who feared the vaccination would increase promiscuity, and lawmakers pared it down to $25,000, which will be spent only on awareness.

Morgan said she hopes Huntsman's generosity will show the Legislature "how great a need" there is for the vaccine and education about the virus. She plans to ask the state for $1 million to $2 million next year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil, made by Merck, last June, recommending it for females 9 to 26. Gardasil is given as three injections over a six-month period and costs about $400. Not all insurance companies cover it.

Many health care providers hailed it as a major advancement because it is the first vaccine designed to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted and can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.

Up to 80 percent of Americans catch HPV at some time during their lives. There are more than 100 types of HPV. Of these, about 13 are high-risk types known to cause most cases of cervical cancer.

Sherry Lansing, the former studio chairman of Paramount Pictures who won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy Awards this year, lauded the donation. As head of The Sherry Lansing Foundation, a group focusing on cancer research, she was in Salt Lake City on Tuesday touring the Huntsman Cancer Institute, founded by the Huntsman family.

"Anything that can be done to lead to a cure should be funded," she said. "And it shouldn't be politicized. I don't think having a vaccine will encourage sexual promiscuity."

An advisory committee comprising Huntsman, doctors and health department employees will determine how the money will be spent and what age group will be targeted for vaccinations.

David Sundwall, executive director of the health department, said the committee must be sensitive because he doesn't want to give the impression that early sexual activity is advisable.

However, he said, "It's absolutely irresponsible if we assume young people in Utah aren't having sex."

This year - for the first time ever - the Legislature approved a direct appropriation for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The center will receive $10 million in one-time funding and $4 million in ongoing funding.

chamilton@sltrib.com