Gardasil, the vaccine for cervical cancer, is not very popular in New Zealand. Target age for the vaccine is under 12, as it works best when given before sexual activity starts. Even so, less than a third of their schoolgirls have received the Gardasil vaccine thus far.

Some people believe that by giving the vaccine to young girls, it promotes promiscuity. Other question the effectiveness of the drug. Despite controversy and religious beliefs, the New Zealand government aims to immunize 300,000 schoolgirls over the next two years.
Image: sxc.hu.

Shocks it’s July and I am working out of the house. I barely made it through June…maybe it is time to get a new computer set? We’ll see…
Anyways, here are a few stuff on cancer I might have missed in the recent days:
‘Designer baby’ to be free from breast cancer?
Men’s cancer vaccine
Accidental fungus leads to promising cancer drug
That’s all for now folks..I gotta run!

GlaxoSmithKline has won a contract with the UK’s NHS to supply its cervical cancer vaccine,
Cervarix.
The battle to supply a vaccine against cervical cancer for use across Britain has been won by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
Cervarix, the GSK vaccine, will be given to girls aged between 12 and 13, starting in September this year, and should prevent about 70 per cent of cervical cancers — saving 400 lives a year when the effect is fully felt.
Read more from The UK Times Online.
Let’s wait and see what Merck (maker of the other cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil) has to say about this.

Speaking of cervical cancer vaccines, there are two notables: Gardasil by Merck which was approved by the FDA earlier this year and Cervarix by GlaxoSmithKline which is expected to be approved by the FDA later this year (but already approved in Australia).

Regarding these HPV vaccines that will protect women against cervical cancer, the CDC recommends that the vaccine should be routinely given to girls at 11-12 years of age – the stage before young girls are more likely to become sexually active.
Now there is a new project that will evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of these vaccines.
The said project -funded …read more

A year ago, Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine- Gardasil® – has been approved by the FDA for use across the United States for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections of strains of human papilloma virus (HPV) linked to most cervical cancers and genital warts and is recommended for young girls and women aged 11 to 26.
Last February, mandatory vaccination of Gardasil® took effect in the state of Texas only to be overturned by a legislature in April. While most states have proposed laws to make Gardasil® vaccination a mandate, no one followed Texas State.
However, the big issue remains whether whose decision …read more

Once Massachussets Governor Deval Patrick’s new proposal goes through, Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine – Gardasil - will be given free to girls in Massachussets aged 9- 18.
Unlike Texas, this is however NOT mandatory.
Patrick states that the new investments would save lives and reduce future treatment costs.
Read the full report.

As ordered by Texas Governor Rick Perry, all schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) – the ones that cause cervical cancer.
Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil is recommended to be administered in girls as young as 11 or 12, before they are likely sexually active.
I wonder how parents would take such a mandate?
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit stating that he or she objected to the vaccine for religious or philosophical reasons.
Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say mandates take away parents’ rights to be the primary medical decision maker …read more