New HPV vaccine?
 

I recently caught the last of a news reel the other night on t.v. and they said they had a vaccine now for the HPV virus which is the main virus that causes both...

a. genital warts
b. cervical cancer in women

This is big news, can anyone confirm this? thoughts? I caught the trail end of the reel saying that it was only effective for people who haven't already been infected with hpv.

Does it work for both men and women?

It would be a blessing. I have tried for years to make women understand that HPV puts you at risk for cervical cancer. At the DR. yesterday they confirmed that they no longer consider cervical cancer to be at all genetic and almost all cases come from having been exposed to the STD, HPV. I get so frustrated when they have in the past downplayed the seriousness of this STD.

I pray the vaccination is truly effective.

HPV Vaccine Prevents Leading Cause of Cervical Cancer
06.08.06, 12:00 AM ET

THURSDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine to prevent the leading cause of cervical cancer -- infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) -- was approved Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Besides causing up to 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, HPV also causes precancerous genital lesions and genital warts.

Gardasil, made by Merck & Co., is approved for use by females 9 to 26 years old. The vaccine is given as three injections over a six-month period, the FDA said.

Some 6.2 million Americans are infected with genital HPV every year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. In most women, the body's immune system clears the virus without complications. But in some cases, HPV can promote abnormal cells on the lining of the cervix that ultimately become cancerous, the FDA said.

On average, there are 9,710 new cases of cervical cancer each year in the United States, leading to 3,700 deaths.

Because the vaccine doesn't protect against less common HPV strains, routine Pap screening remains crucial to early detection and treatment of precancerous changes in the cervix, the FDA stressed.

Just another piece of Aussie brainwork helping out the rest of the world.

The emphasis seems to be on immunizing the very young women, since it's not of any help to those who've already been exposed...

On a very discouraging but not unexpected note, the Bluenoses have spoken out against the vaccine, saying that it will "encourage young girls to have unprotected sex"...

...news flash, :ahole: , it's the human sex drive that makes young people want to have sex...we owe it to our children to do whatever's needed to teach them to be smart about it...

^^ absolutely

the protesting arguments are fairly low and quiet. i don't think they'll gain much momentum.

You know if we don't vaccinate our kids against measles then maybe they won't play with other children and risk infection :blink:

Yeah, they say it's only for the very young. However I was talking to a nurse involved in the testing and she says it's also showing promise even in women already infected.

Obviously this is unofficial but I could imagine it working. Post-infection use of vaccines isn't unheard of.

Yes!!!!!!!
 

This is a truly wonderful thing!!
if you are worried about getting the vaccine, wait one year (while practicing safe sex) until any possible complications show up before getting immunized.
All the testing done so far will not show up the really rare complications, so waiting for a LITTLE while may be a good thing.


BTW, I am getting mine as soon as possible!!

Nurse Wanda

Last nite, I was blessed to be able to participate in this years local "Relay for Life", the American Cancer Society's largest most well known fund raising event. It was inspirational for me... to see so many survivors.. and I thought more than once about this recent development, the vaccine which will result in fewer cases (and hopefully someday, the irradication of) cervical cancer. It will be a wonderful thing if this new vaccine can save the lives of so many women and with it hopefully this will bring the much needed breakthrough in curing all cancers.

I wonder why no-one seems to be testing for HPV, giving women an indicator of their risk category.

It may at least spur women who would otherwise have cruised along to be very careful with their pap smears.

ok so from what i've been reading this prevents cervical cancer in women and prevents 99% of the hpv strains...now being male i'm kinda of curious does this work for men as well in the sense that we can be immunized from hpv strains or have our y chromosones failed us again? lol.

It prevents only 4 strains but they are the most common.

As far as I know it works in men also.