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.

Post from: Blisstree

New Zealanders Avoid Gardasil

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!

Post from: Blisstree

Where has my June gone?

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.

Post from: Blisstree

GSK Won UK Cervical Cancer Contract

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 by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – will be jointly conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the New York State Department of Health.

The said project is an attempt to determine how many people are receiving the vaccine and whether or not it is having a measurable impact on rates of cervical cancer and its precursor lesions.

Find more details from University of Rochester Medical Center.

[Photo Credit: URMC]

Post from: Blisstree

Cervical Cancer Vaccine To Undergo Evaluation

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 it is to have your daughter vaccinated by Gardasil® – the parents’ (especially in the case of the young girls) or the State’s?

It is understandable though that conservative Christians and watchdog groups are opposed to it and that they continue to scrutinize the issue and the safety of the vaccine per se.

In my honest opinion, of course mandatory vaccination kind of condones “sexual promiscuity” (words of conservative groups opposing the mandate, not mine) and parents would like to act like parents and would either decide to have their young daughters vaccinated with Gardasil® or they would go against it and act as “watchdogs” instead to their daughter’s sexual life.

[Lest we forget, it is an undeniable fact that agreeing to the vaccination will protect more and more women.]

Of course once the daughter reaches legal age she has the option herself to agree to be vaccinated or not. By then she would have total control of her body – to either become celibate or not – and then protect herself from either unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

My stand on the issue remains the same (mandate or no mandate) mainly because – isn’t the world already promiscuous at some level? You cannot reverse that fact anymore. And how would one prevent young people from being sexually active, especially in the free world? C’mon guys, let’s think practical and reality.

I don’t care how much Merck earns for every vaccine series of Gardasil® (3-shot series costs 360$), I just want to be thankful that there is a vaccine as such that will prevent humankind from sexually transmitted infections of strains of human papilloma virus (HPV) leading to cervical cancer in women – the second most common type of cancer in women (after breast cancer!).

For sure there will come a time that the cost of this vaccine will plummet down and who knows when it will benefit men as well. (Some states are already offering the vaccine either free or at a reduced cost.)

In Tucson for example, even though the State will not mandate its vaccination, Gardasil® is becoming hugely popular in teen girls and their parents.

According to Dr. Eve Shapiro, who specializes in adolescent medicine and has given at least 400 doses of Gardasil in recent months, now that most insurance covers it:

“The response is huge. Right now, I’m giving it to 14-, 15-year-olds and older — those who are already or nearly sexually active. We wanted to get them covered quickly.

It’s a very big advantage to prevent all that, with this vaccine. This is a safe vaccine that’s been rigorously tested. I don’t see any downside to it But I’m not hearing people say they’re afraid it will make their daughters sexually promiscuous. That just has not been an issue.”

[Tucson pediatricians are reporting that more than 90 percent of families are choosing to have teen daughters vaccinated.]

I think these families are thinking straight. Or maybe the conservative authorities and so called citizen watchdog groups are just giving the general population less credit on this matter?

My two cents anyway…

What do you think? And how do you feel about all this issue on Gardasil®?

Post from: Blisstree

Gardasil, Cervical Cancer and an Update on Mandatory Vaccination

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.

Post from: Blisstree

Massachusetts Will Offer Free Cervical Cancer Vaccine

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 for their children.

Gardasil apparently costs $360 for the three-shot regimen. (!!!)

Imagine how much Merck will earn if vaccination with Gardasil becomes mandatory accross the country?

On the other hand, imagine too how many girls/women who won’t have to suffer cervical cancer?

Read the full report.

Post from: Blisstree

Texas is 1st U.S. State to Require Cervical Cancer Vaccine for Girls