Take Three : HPV
Tuesday August 19, 2008
Now that it has been proven that an HPV vaccine can be effective in preventing women from becoming infected with the virus that causes cervical cancer, it's only a matter of time before new options arrive on the market. Currently, the U.S. has one HPV Vaccine option Gardasil which is only available to young women. Cervarix, another vaccine, is available in European markets and may also soon be available here, but both of these vaccines protect against a very limited number of HPV strains. That's why I found it interesting to read in the news that University of Louisville researchers have recently licensed a vaccine that is targeted against a different HPV viral protein, which could provide broader protection. It will be years before the new vaccine could reach the market, but it's an interesting hope for the future. I'm excited about this vaccine for another reason, however, as well... it's designed to be made in tobacco plants. When I was in graduate school, the use of genetically-modified plants to create vaccines and other drugs was a great source of fascination for me, and so I'm always thrilled when that technology is used to bring something to market. Plus, it's a much better use of tobacco than smoking.
It shouldn't matter...
Saturday August 16, 2008
A new study, quoted in the New York Times talks about the fact that many men who have sex with men don't disclose their sexuality to their doctors and therefore don't get tested for HIV. I do agree that this is a problem, but not for the same reason quoted by the doctors in the study. My reason? The CDC universal HIV testing recommendations state that all patients between the ages of 13 and 64 should be tested for HIV as part of their regular health care visit, except in very limited situations. Clearly, doctors aren't listening. While it's undeniably a problem that many gay and bisexual men are uncomfortable discussing their sexuality with their doctors, and certainly affects their quality of care, it's also a serious problem that doctors aren't testing all their patients regularly for HIV. Methinks someone has a little bit of explaining to do...
The Alterna-Jab
Thursday August 14, 2008
Although it has not yet been approved in the United States, in the UK, a cervical cancer vaccination program using Cervarix has recently been expanded to cover another 300,000 girls. Cervarix protects against two types of high-risk cancer-associated HPV in comparison to Gardasil, the HPV vaccine available in the U.S., which also protects against two types of HPV associated with genital warts.
Live Globally, Love Locally
Tuesday August 12, 2008
It was bound to happen eventually, but it's still depressing to hear that Lymphogranuloma venereum(LGV) cases are now being seen in New Zealand. LGV is a systemic STD more similar to syphilis than chlamydia even though it's caused by a different strain of the organism that causes chlamydia. A few years ago, most doctors in the developed world wouldn't even consider LGV as a potential problem, but not any more. Isolated outbreaks started in the Netherlands in 2003 and have been spreading through the worldwide MSM population ever since.
Condom Ads - Now For Everyone?
Saturday August 9, 2008
A British government advisory panel has recommended that condoms be advertised on television starting earlier in the evening. The goal of the recommendation is to expose more teenagers to safer sex messages. It's easy enough for teens to hear about sex, and even STDs on television, but condoms are fare less often discussed. It's important to face the facts : teenagers are having sex, and that's not going to stop if we don't educate them about it. Putting condom advertisements on television at hours when teenagers are watching, will not only remind teens of their importance but also, hopefully, stimulate parents to repeatedly have healthy conversations with their teens about sex.
A Special Treat(ment)
Thursday August 7, 2008
Common wisdom about when to start suppressive therapy for genital herpes infection, may not be correct. Reuters reports on a new study from the Sexually Transmitted Diseases journal, that found that instead of waiting to start therapy until it has been established that a newly infected herpes patient will have recurrences, it may be best to start such patients on therapy right away. In my opinion, this is a very positive sign, and will hopefully help to make more physicians aware of the efficacy of suppressive therapy in reducing transmission. It has, in the past, occasionally been difficult for some individuals without recurrences to go on treatment when they've just wanted to do so to protect their partners.
Schooling Our Youth
Tuesday August 5, 2008
A study in the June 2008 Journal of Adolescent Health found that there's yet another good reason to send your kids to college... it makes them less likely to have sex. The study, which focused on the 6-months after high school graduation, found that teenagers who went on to college were less likely to have sex, more likely to practice safe sex, and more likely to do so consistently, than their peers who did not go on to pursue a higher education. Still, just shipping your kids off to any school that will take them isn't the answer. It turns out that much of the difference in risk is determined by high school risk behaviors and poor academic performance. Yet another reason why it's important to educate them about sex both early and often.
"Card Carrying" - I think not
Friday August 1, 2008
It's a bit unfortunate that the STDFree certification card is still getting so much news coverage. I was really hoping that it would just disappear off the face of the earth. You'd think that I'd be in favor of anything that encourages people to get screened for STDs, and normally you'd be right, but I think this card is a really, really bad idea. All it says is that, at some point in the past, the person who was carrying it was tested and was negative. It doesn't say when they were tested, if they've had any partners since, if they've engaged in high risk activity, or anything about their current STD status. What it does do is discourage them from having the pre-sex conversation. You know, the one where you talk about your risk factors and discuss your testing history and the need for safer sex? That's something I expect that people won't bother with if they can just use this card that lets them "get out of condom free."
Trend Setters
Thursday July 31, 2008
The Times of London reports that two pharmacy-owning brothers are trying to market their own brand of condoms in hopes of encouraging local women to use more contraception. The brothers have been seeing an increase in the number of women looking for the morning after pill, and hope that if they can provide a cheap, female-friendly, condom alternative that maybe they'll be able to start dispensing fewer prescriptions. Personally, I think it's worth a shot. If some packaging, and a bit of a price break, will encourage more women to carry their own condoms, then I hope the brothers make a mint.
Early Exposure
Tuesday July 29, 2008
Some people hesitate to give their daughters the HPV Vaccine because they are worried that it might encourage them to start having sex. Even if that idea wasn't, largely, ridiculous, and unsupported by mounds of research on sex education and providing condoms in schools, sex isn't the only way you can acquire HPV. A Finnish research group has been studying familial transmission of the virus and found it in breast milk. Maybe this information will help encourage individuals to take the morality policing out of the vaccination arguments and encourage them to focus on the science instead.
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