I have previously written articles regarding the vaccines available and the differences between Gardasil and Cervarix. While this is certainly a positive step forward, the sad fact remains that within the US only 30% of those beginning the three shot series complete it and so transmission continues as does the potential for dysplasia and cancer. At this rate far more people will continue to become infected than will become protected and more needs to be done for those already infected. The limitations set by the FDA of an outside age of 26 certainly does not help as it excludes an entire segment of the population who may have been in monogomous relationships in their 20s and early 30s only to find themselves divorced and looking to get into a new relationship. Canada has approved the vaccine to age 45 and after three applications to the FDA and having them back burner it twice they have now ruled against extending the age.
There also continues to be no commercially available test for men and while men may want to know if their partner has HPV where does that leave the woman? Is she not entitled to know if her partner has it as well?
Statistics continue to be misleading as HPV is not a reportable condition as some other STIs are and there are no dysplaisa registry as there are cancer registries to track the number of actual high grade dysplasias occurring in any given year. We all know that the reduction in cervical cancers is the result of early detection and treatment through screening however the lack of this information only functions to falsely lower the numbers when it comes to to levels of high grade lesions being excluded. Those numbers could have tripled and we would not know it without some means to count those cases in the statistics for persistent disease.
Researchers need to focus of a therapeutic vaccine since with the current series completion rate of 30%, new infections will outpace those protected.
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I have previously written articles regarding the vaccines available and the differences between Gardasil and Cervarix. While this is certainly a positive step forward, the sad fact remains that within the US only 30% of those beginning the three shot series complete it and so transmission continues as does the potential for dysplasia and cancer. At this rate far more people will continue to become infected than will become protected and more needs to be done for those already infected. The limitations set by the FDA of an outside age of 26 certainly does not help as it excludes an entire segment of the population who may have been in monogomous relationships in their 20s and early 30s only to find themselves divorced and looking to get into a new relationship. Canada has approved the vaccine to age 45 and after three applications to the FDA and having them back burner it twice they have now ruled against extending the age.
August 18, 2011 - 9:37pmThere also continues to be no commercially available test for men and while men may want to know if their partner has HPV where does that leave the woman? Is she not entitled to know if her partner has it as well?
Statistics continue to be misleading as HPV is not a reportable condition as some other STIs are and there are no dysplaisa registry as there are cancer registries to track the number of actual high grade dysplasias occurring in any given year. We all know that the reduction in cervical cancers is the result of early detection and treatment through screening however the lack of this information only functions to falsely lower the numbers when it comes to to levels of high grade lesions being excluded. Those numbers could have tripled and we would not know it without some means to count those cases in the statistics for persistent disease.
Researchers need to focus of a therapeutic vaccine since with the current series completion rate of 30%, new infections will outpace those protected.
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