Tonight on the BBC London News Broadcast there was an article about Jade Goody who is laid to rest tomorrow, 4th April 2009.
Part of the legacy of this young lady is that she has not only raised awareness of cervical cancer but the vaccination for HPV for young girls and now boys.
They interviewed many young men who were all for having the vaccination if it would reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.
Of course it would go much further than that. It would reduce the incidence of penile and anal cancers as well as deal with the issue of genital warts.
We believe however that government has missed an oppourtunity here. There choice of vaccine offers the least protection, only 2 strains of HPV. We call for government to vaccinate all girls with the alternative, it covers 4 strains of HPV, and extend the programme to boys as well.
Often referred to as the "herd" effect. Vaccinating boys would reduce further transmission especially where any female partner was not vaccinated.
Our sympathy is with Ms. Goody's family at this time.
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Homosexual men are requesting a controversial "sex disease" vaccine designed to prevent a female cancer.
Gardasil protects against the most common of sexually transmitted infections, human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer.
But HPV also causes genital warts and anal and penile cancer, and men argue the jab would guard against these.
Many private clinics are offering it to men. One in London says it has immunised dozens in the last six weeks.
Controversy
Gardasil has been causing controversy since it was launched in the UK late last year, mainly because it is designed to be given to children before they become sexually active and can catch HPV.
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 The motivation is to protect themselves and to prevent spreading HPV to their partners  Dr Sean Cummings, who has been supplying Gardasil to his male patients
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The government is considering whether all girls, and possibly boys, aged 11 or 12 should get it routinely in schools, ultimately to cut cervical cancer rates.
Gardasil is licensed for boys and girls aged nine to 15 and women aged 16 to 26. But doctors can opt to give it to other people "off licence" if they wish.
Strong demand
Dr Sean Cummings at the Freedom Health clinic in Harley Street, where dozens of men have had the jab, said he was happy to recommend Gardasil to his adult men, at £450 for a three-dose course.
"We've had a strong demand for it. I had a man come in for the vaccine this morning. He was 24. Then I have one this afternoon who is 67 years old.
"The motivation is to protect themselves and to prevent spreading HPV to their partners."
Opponents say there is no point in immunising people who are already sexually active.
More proof
But Dr Paul Fox, a genito-urinary medicine expert at the Chelsea and Westminster and Ealing hospitals, believes it can be worthwhile.
He argues that it is unlikely a person will have encountered all of the four strains of HPV found in Gardasil, including the two linked to cancers, even if they are leading a very promiscuous sex life.
"We should not just be looking at vaccinating people in their pre-teen years. Other people would benefit as well."
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We would not urge mass vaccination until we know it works Roger Peabody of the Terrence Higgins Trust
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Dr Jo Longstaff, of the Independent General Practice private clinic in Cardiff, which also offers the Gardasil vaccine, agrees.
"Our first enquiry about Gardasil was from a male patient. I think they should be considering it."
Dr Anne Szarewski, clinical consultant for Cancer Research UK who has been involved in evaluating both Merck's Gardasil and GSK's rival jab Cervarix, says there may be a case for immunising men.
"Men who have sex with men are at a much higher risk than average of anal cancer and genital warts, particularly if they are HIV-positive.
"Clearly it would be very important if the vaccine could protect. The problem is we do need proof."
Trials in men
Merck is currently testing the vaccine's efficacy in 4,000 men, including 500 men who have sex with men.
And the US National Institute of Health is also carrying out trials to see what benefits it could have for people with HIV.
Merck said its priority was to tackle cervical cancer, but has not ruled out giving the vaccine to other groups - including men who have sex with men.
Roger Peabody of the Terrence Higgins Trust said if the trials were successful, there would be a good case for vaccinating young boys, not only to stop the spread of HPV to women, but to protect men against HPV-related disease.
Dr Szarewski agreed, saying: "It is bad enough suggesting to people that their 12-year-old daughter might need a vaccine against a sexually transmitted infection.
"I would be interested to see the response of suggesting to parents that they should vaccinate their boys at 12 in case they become gay."
She said heterosexual men and women also risked anal cancer.
About 400 people are diagnosed with anal cancer each year in the UK. The disease is slightly more common in women than men.
http://news.bbc
.co.uk/2/hi/health/6342105.stm
Boys should be vaccinated with the anti-cervical cancer jab in order to help protect girls against the disease, a leading expert has suggested.
The human papilloma virus is responsible for the majority of cases of cervical cancer as well as other sexually transmitted infections which can affect men as well as women. However the Government vaccination programme only targets girls aged from 12 Photo: JOHN ROBERTSON
The human papilloma virus is responsible for the majority of cases of cervical cancer as well as other sexually transmitted infections which can affect men as well as women.
However, the Government’s vaccination programme only targets girls aged from 12 to 18.
Dr Anne Szarewski, a consultant at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, in London, told GP magazine that it was “very likely” that boys would have to be vaccinated as well as girls to ensure high enough immunity against HPV in the community.
Vaccination programmes work by ensuring the majority of the population is covered with the jab to stop the disease spreading.
Dr Szarewski said: “It is extremely unlikely that uptake in girls will hit the 100 per cent level. In order to get herd immunity we need to vaccinate boys as well.”
The cervical cancer vaccination programme began in September last year and up until January of this year uptake was 73.4 per cent among 12 and 13 year old girls and 32.2 per cent among 17 and 18 year olds.
Dr Szarewski said vaccinating boys as well as girls would remove some of the stigma associated with immunising against a sexually transmitted disease and so boost uptake rates.
The UK vaccination programme uses Cervarix made by GlaxoSmithKline which is not licensed for use in boys where as the other vaccine, Gardasil, made by Merck is licensed for boys and girls.
A DH spokesperson said: "The aim of the programme is to prevent cervical cancer in women and the best way to do this is to vaccinate girls and young women."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5088968/Vaccinate-boys-with...
A US government medical committee has recommended the human papillomavirus vaccine for boys, to tackle the spread of the sexually-transmitted virus.
While the vaccine has been available to boys before, the vote means that injections are now likely to be covered under medical insurance.
Officials said a lower than expected rate of vaccination in girls encouraged them to reconsider the policy.
In boys, the vaccine protects against cancers associated with the virus.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice, which advises the Centers for Disease Control, voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend the vaccine for males ages 11 and 12.
Vaccination confusion
Dr Anne Schuchat, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters vaccinating boys would provide a direct benefit against various cancers and genital warts, and would also potentially reduce the spread of the virus from males to females.
"[The] HPV vaccine is not being highly taken up among teen girls," she said.
Men can get cancer from HPV too, research has shown.
"Genital HPV virus" is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).
Human papillomavirus is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women.
Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own.
Some of these viruses, however, are called "high-risk" types, and may cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to various cancers including, as new research has shown, of the throat.
At least 50 per cent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 per cent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection.
Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap tests. Also, a specific test is available to detect HPV DNA in women. The results of HPV DNA testing can help health care providers decide if further tests or treatment are necessary.
No HPV tests are currently available for men.
All types of HPV can cause mild Pap test abnormalities which do not have serious consequences. Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Research has shown that for most women (90 percent), cervical HPV infection becomes undetectable within two years. Although only a small proportion of women have persistent infection, persistent infection with "high-risk" types of HPV is the main risk factor for cervical cancer.
Regular Pap testing and careful medical follow-up, with treatment if necessary, can help ensure that pre-cancerous changes in the cervix caused by HPV infection do not develop into life threatening cervical cancer.
The surest way to eliminate risk for HPV infection is to refrain from any genital contact with another individual.
For those choosing to be sexually active and who are not in long-term mutually monogamous relationships, reducing the number of sexual partners and choosing a partner less likely to be infected may reduce the risk of genital HPV infection - such as those who have had no or few prior sex partners.
HPV infection can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. Condom use has, however, been associated with a lower rate of cervical cancer, an HPV-associated disease.
The HPV vaccine is recommended for 11-12 year-old girls, and can be given to girls as young as 9. The vaccine is also recommended for 13-26 year-old girls/women who have not yet received or completed the vaccine series.
Ideally, females should get the vaccine before they are sexually active. This is because the vaccine is most effective in girls/women who have not yet acquired any of the four HPV types covered by the vaccine.
Females who are sexually active may also benefit from the vaccine. But they may get less benefit from the vaccine since they may have already acquired one or more HPV type(s) covered by the vaccine.
It is not yet known if the vaccine is effective in boys or men. It is possible that vaccinating males will have health benefits for them by preventing warts and rare cancers. It is also possible that vaccinating boys/men will have indirect health benefits for girls/women.
Studies are now being done to find out if the vaccine works to prevent HPV infection and disease in males. When more information is available, this vaccine may be licensed and recommended for boys/men as well.
The vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women.
Studies have found the vaccine to be almost 100 per cent effective in preventing diseases caused by the four HPV types covered by the vaccine.
However because the vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV, it will not prevent all cases of cervical cancer or warts.
About 30 per cent of cervical cancers will not be prevented by the vaccine, so it will be important for women to continue getting screened for cervical cancer (regular Pap tests).
Also, the vaccine does not prevent about 10 per cent of genital warts, nor will it prevent other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). So it will still be important for sexually active adults to reduce exposure to HPV and other STIs. Both men and women can get HPV ? and pass it on - without even realizing it.
Certain types of HPV have been linked to cancer in men. These cancers are rare ? especially in men with healthy immune systems.
Over half of sexually active men in the United States (U.S.) will have HPV at some time in their lives.
At the moment, there is no test approved to detect HPV in men. However, there are ways to detect the most common problem caused by HPV in men, genital warts.
There are currently no tests approved to detect early evidence of HPV-associated cancers in men, as there are for women (Pap tests).
There is no treatment or cure for HPV. But there are ways to treat the health conditions associated with HPV in men.
While most men will not develop health problems from HPV, some men are at higher risk of disease from HPV. It is also important for men to realize that they can unknowingly transmit HPV to their female sex partners.
Compared to heterosexual men, women are at higher risk of developing disease from HPV ? most notably, cervical cancer.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-453990/Men-cancer-HPV-The-fact...