I too was excited to hear the news. I only hope that it will eventually be more cost efficient for all women of different socioeconomic status.

Kenshin,

There is no indication of cancer from the virus in men that I am aware of, but the lack of a cervix

probably has a protective aspect.

Yeah, the benefits in men are less but the greater the penetration of the vaccine the less there will be of the disease. Since it's probably a human-only disease it could be driven into extinction by a sufficient vaccination program.

It worked for Smallpox.

This was not Clark Kent's brush with syphilis.

The vaccine looks to become part of the primary school immunization program here.....it will be free to 11-12 yrs old girls

Brilliant idea

It is for women only that i have heard....those wishing to be innoculated (other than those that chose to have it at done at school age) will have to pay approximately AU$200 for the course of injections

It's a punt they take which may save their lives. Their choice.

I don't know about elsewhere in the world, but in the UK the fact that having sex at a young age and with numerous partners can increase your exposure to HPV, therefore increasing your risk of developing cervical cancer was never made clear.

I received an above average quality of sex education and it was never even touched upon - perhaps if it had been there would be fewer underage girls having sex and living a promiscuous lifestyle.

A friend of mine was found to have 'abnormal cells' when she was 18 and was told by a very unfeeling doctor 'It's because you had sex so young and with so many different people that you've got this' which made her cry as she had no idea that she was putting herself at risk at the time.

If kids are not being taught the dangers of HPV in the first place, then how can a vaccination against it make them more likely to have underage sex?

Here in the US there is a television campaign regarding HPV but it does not give all the info. Instead it suggests you speak to your doctor.

The vaccine is only for girls who have not yet had sex as the vaccine will only prevent an infection and will do nothing for someone who is already infected. It will only protect against the 2 strains that most often cause genital warts and the 2 strains that most often cause cervical cancer. It will not protect against the dozens of other strains that exist.

BTW, the only "safe" sex to prevent the transfer of HPV is no sex.

Of course not. If they're going to discuss the drug they need to go into all the medical disclosure, something that's pretty hard to do on TV.

The vaccine is not only for girls who have not had sex...it is just more effective....but thats not to say that it can do nearly as much for a woman who's had sex

I'm looking into the cost of getting the series of injections....i think its around AU$400 for a woman to get the course done....but will need to discuss cost with my Doc.

My main concern is that they do not go into the risks associated with premature sexual activity.

If a girl/woman has had sex then the benefit of the vaccination decreases as there is possible exposure to the 4 strains the vaccine was designed for. With the addition of multiple sex partners the benefit is even less.

yes, but notice that there is a benefit, the odds just increase or decrease depending.

In other words, we should leave women vulnerable to HPV in order to scare them into abstinence??