HPV Vaccine Now Approved For Boys

Dr. Sue at kvue.com reports...

...this week when the FDA approved the use of Gardasil to prevent genital warts due to HPV types 6 and 11. The vaccine was approved for use in boys ages 9 – 26, in the same 3 dose series as girls.

More on this story here

HPV Vaccine 'Widely Ignored'

With this post and my next one I am going to be showing both sides of the coin. On the one side is the pro vaccination camp that firmly stands by the need for the HPV vaccine, particularly amongst young women, and on the other side are those that believe that the HPV vaccine is at best a scam, and at worst the vaccine itself poses a danger to health!

So who is right? Well, I'm just presenting the arguments here. I'll leave you to come to your own decision.

Smartplanet reports that...

Out of 9,658 young women, less than one-third of those eligible to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine chose to get it. And the majority of those women didn’t even complete the entire 3-dose regimen.

They go on to say...

most common sexually transmitted virus among US girls, HPV can cause cervical cancer – the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, with nearly 4,000 deaths expected a year in the US alone.

To read more on this click the link above.

In my next post I'll cover the anti-vaccine argument.

 

 

The Technical Details Behind The HPV Virus

This is a video from the University Of California, Berkley. It sounds really dramatic, and the information hits you at a fast pace, but if you ever wanted to know what HPV is, how it spreads, what it can do, and it's implications for you, then it's all in this video.

The HPV Song

I guess things have moved on since I was at school! This is a school teacher educating the class about the dangers of HPV. I guess it doesn't matter that it is light hearted as long as the message gets across. And lets face it, the kids are far more likely to remember this than some solemn message delivered in a boring way!

Is The HPV Vaccine A Hoax?

There are a number of people who are convinced that the HPV virus does not cause cancer, and that the HPV vaccine is not only unneccesary, but is in actual fact a danger to health.  Here is an example of one such person...

 

Genital Warts Pictures

I've included a video below that has tons of useful information about the HPV virus. It also has genital warts pictures, so trust me, you REALLY don't want to be watching this is you've just had, or about to have, your dinner!

The video is silent and is mostly a sort of slideshow, but I highly recommended watching it...

 

Are Men Too Shy To Do Anything About Their HPV Infections?

The Press Association reports that men are too shy to seek health advice in general, and particularly when it comes to anything personal or embarrassing.

Of those surveyed, 22% of adult men said they would ignore symptoms of lice rather than admit to a pharmacist they had the problem.

A further 18% were too embarrassed to speak to their pharmacist even if they feared they had a sexually-transmitted infection such as genital warts or herpes, in the hope the condition would simply disappear.

The article also states that a significant percentage of men would rather have unprotected sex because they are too embarrassed to buy condoms.

 

Top 5 Symptoms Of HPV Infection

If you think you might be infected with the HPV virus then going to your doctor should be the number one activity on your list of things to do. Here are the top 5 symptoms to watch out for...

1. Genital Warts - The gential warts can appear cauliflower like and appear on the vulva, vagina, near the anus, or on the cervix.
2. Pre-malignant genital lesions - cellular changes that result in pre-cancerous lesions.
3. Oral and upper resipratory lesions - HPV can cause warts on the tongue, airways, and nose, and cause breathing difficulties
4. Cervical cancer - It won't become evident until the cancer is quite advanced. Regular screening is definitely advisable.
5. Common warts - Appearing on the hands and fingers. They may be painful or bleed

For more information check out Newsmax .com

Should The Church Interfere When It Comes To HPV Vaccinations?

According to the Calgary Herald...

Two years ago, the Calgary separate school trustees voted to ban public health nurses from distributing a vaccine -- the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) -- to students on publicly funded Calgary school property.

Now, just after the new school board's election, the vaccine uptake data is reported. Whereas about 70 per cent of eligible girls in the Calgary public school system received the three vaccine doses, only 18 per cent in the Catholic school system did so.

When the vaccine is almost 100% effective at preventing against the cancer causing HPV strains it seems pretty stupid to me that the church would rather women risk dying of cancer than face up to the reality that people ARE having sex outside of marriage. They don't have to agree with it, but why risk someones lif just because you don't agree with something?

What do you think?

 

HPV Vaccine Prevents Anal Cancer

There is an interesting article in the Lancet medical magazine that talks about how the HPV vaccine is also being used to help gay men avoid anal cancer. With women the HPV vaccine is given routinely to young girls, preferably before they become sexually active. However this strategy may not work with males...

Casting a wide net -- routine vaccination of all men and boys -- may not be the best way to prevent anal cancer and genital warts in this high-risk group, Kim writes. Instead, targeting men who have sex with men between the ages of 12 and 26 may be the way to go, she says.

"Such a strategy is very likely to be a valuable health investment for a high-risk population that otherwise relies on no other organized prevention strategy against an illness with a high disease burden," she writes.

Younger men may not be aware of their sexual identity or willing to disclose it, and this is one of the reasons some experts were calling for routine vaccination of all boys.

You can read more about this here.

 

The Diffference Between Genital Warts And Herpes

There is often a lot of confusion over what is gential warts and what is herpes, as the two can be quite similar.  I came across this video on Youtube which does a great job of explaining the differences in some detail.

What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know...

Virus Not Catching On

The vaccine can protect against 70% of the cases of cervical cancer - yet bizzarely only about 60% of parents are consenting to to their daughters being vaccinated against the four strains of HPV that can lead to cancer and genital warts.

The health unit and principals at the local elementary schools aren't sure why 40 per cent of parents aren't consenting to the vaccine; there is no built-in feedback mechanism for parents – they sign the permission form or they don't.

You can read more about this story here.

Virus that causes genital warts linked to oral cancer

There have been a few stories popping up in the news recently linking genital warts to cancer. Here is one such report that I came across on Canada.com...

Mouth and throat cancer could be caused by the virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer, and it could be spreading through sex and French-kissing, a study published Wednesday says.

"In addition to the known oral cancer risk factors — smoking, drinking alcohol and chewing betel nuts — human papillomavirus (HPV) has been added to the list," the study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases report says...

Read more here

Robin Williams Sued Over Herpes

Celebrities With Diseases reports (quoting from an article in the New York Times) that comedian Robin Williams had an affair with a woman and failed to tell her that he had herpes.

It is also reported that both Williams and Carter confessed to not having discussed the matter of sexual health before embarking on a physical relationship. The comedian’s lawyer argued that those who do not engage in a dialogue on the issue before sex and do not insist on the use of condoms, should assume they are at risk.

Do you think that is argument holds water? Your comments on the subject would be appreciated.