For the first time, boys in Australia will receive the Gardasil vaccine, a series of shots typically given to high school-aged girls to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which can lead to cervical cancer.Under Australia's National Immunisation Program, boys ages 12 and 13 will get the three-round dose of the vaccine from U.S. drug giant Merck ($MRK). The program for boys is expected to cost $21.1 million over four years and include 870,000 vaccinations, along with an information campaign, a vaccine register and monitoring of adverse reactions, according to ABC News. This is all good news for Merck, which could greatly expand the market for Gardasil if other governments follow Australia's lead and pay for males to get the vaccine.
"It is estimated that a quarter of new infections will be avoided by extending the vaccine to boys," said Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek.Australia leads the way in vaccinating boys; many health experts for years campaigned to broaden the vaccine to males in their first year of high school. HPV infections hit both males and females, and spreads during sex. In recent years researchers have linked a growing number of cancer in men to the virus. Vaccinating both men and women will impact prevalence of anal, penile, vaginal and vulvar cancers, said Steve Hambleton, the president of the Australian Medical Association, as quoted by ABC.Stateside, about 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV, according to data from National Institutes of Health. About 6 million more get infected each year. In related news, ABC reported a study that found that HPV vaccinations have reduced the risk of infection even in women who don't get the vaccine, a phenomenon known as herd immunity.
- read the ABC News story about the male vaccinations
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Sunday, 15 July 2012
Human Papillomavirus-Gardasil Vaccine-Hpv Vaccinations-Cervical Cancer-Hpv Infections
Friday, 6 April 2012
Cervical Cancer Vaccine-Human Papillomavirus-Gavi Alliance-Hpv Vaccines
In November, the GAVI Alliance, a public-private partnership focused on saving lives and protecting health by increasing access to immunization, announced that it would look to introduce human papillomavirus (HPV) and rubella vaccines in developing countries. This seems to have come a step closer to reality, as, according to Reuters, GAVI is nearing a price deal with vaccine rivals GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) and Merck ($MRK) for Gardasil and Cervarix. This could cut the more than 200,000 deaths from cervical cancer that occur every year in the developing world.A spokesperson for GAVI told Reuters that "at least one" of these pharmaceutical companies had made "encouraging progress towards an acceptable price" for GAVI-eligible countries, but hasn't identified the company.GSK was one of the first manufacturers to sign up to the alliance, agreeing to supply up to 300 million doses of its vaccine Synflorix for invasive pneumococcal disease. A GSK spokesperson has confirmed to Reuters that the company is in negotiation with GAVI over cervical cancer vaccine provision, adding that "GSK is committed to offering the lowest prices for its vaccines to the poorest countries.""The HPV vaccine is critical to women and girls in poorer countries because they usually do not have access to screening to prevent cervical cancer and treatment taken for granted in richer nations. Today, we have taken deliberate first steps to correct this inequity," said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI.If negotiations are successful and the vaccine can be delivered successfully to people in the developing countries, up to 2 million women and girls in 9 countries could be protected from cervical cancer by 2015.- read the article in ReutersRelated Articles:
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Sunday, 1 April 2012
Chlamydia Trachomatis-Chlamydial Infection-Bacterial Infection-Chlamydia Vaccine
Sexually transmitted chlamydial infection is silent but insidious--there can be just a few mild symptoms but the damage is irreversible, leaving some women infertile or with long-term pain. There is currently no vaccine, but an Indiana University researcher has been given $2.3 million to try to create one.The award, from the National Institutes of Health, will support David E. Nelson and his team to genetically modify variants of Chlamydia trachomatis, which is also the leading cause of infectious blindness (trachoma) worldwide. This tweaking of the genome will help researchers understand why the bacteria is specific to certain tissues and hosts, and how it manages to hide from the immune system. This knowledge, it is hoped, will lead to a vaccine."In the long term we hope our work provides clues toward designing a vaccine and developing strong models of human chlamydial disease," Nelson said. "But most immediately we're looking to identify and characterize the factors that allow this pathogen to grow, how it interacts with other bacteria and how it avoids host immune systems so well."Chlamydia is the most commonly reported bacterial infection in the United States, with more than 1.3 million people infected in 2010. The infection can be treated easily with antibiotics. However, either because the infection can be silent, or because it's sexually transmitted, not everyone comes forward for treatment. Until a vaccine is available, abstaining from sex or using condoms is the only surefire way to be safe.- read the press releaseRelated Articles:
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