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One in ten men are orally infected with the human papillomavirus, the nasty microscopic villain that can cause cancer of the genitals or throat. Because it's tough to test for the virus without a tissue sample and most of the infected don't know they have it, many don't think they're at risk for HPV-caused throat cancers until it's too late. Cancer is such a jerk. More »
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California Governor Jerry Brown just signed legislature that allows minors in the state to receive anti-STD vaccines without parental consent. More »
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New research shows that throat cancers caused by HPV — usually contracted through oral sex — are on the rise. It's upsetting news, but there's something we can do: start testing the HPV vaccine for throat cancer prevention, and vaccinate boys. More »
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A bill passed by the California legislature this month would allow clinicians to vaccinate kids against HPV without their parents consent — and it could apply to other STDs too. More »
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The facts: Roughly half of adult males in the US are infected with HPV. Some strains, passed along to women through sexual contact, can cause cervical cancer. HPV can also increase the likelihood of penile or anal cancer in men, and can cause genital warts. The FDA has already approved the vaccine for boys. But the CDC is still deliberating over whether boys should get it. A significant decision in the process is expected at a meeting next month. More »
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Michele Bachmann is continuing to all-out make up stuff about the HPV vaccine, but she never said she's a scientist. As it happens, one of them just bet her $10,000 to prove that there is a real person who developed "mental retardation" from Gardasil. More »
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Michele Bachmann seems to have struck gold at yesterday's Republican debate. She went after Rick "I Hate Cancer" Perry, again for mandating an HPV vaccine, and she hasn't stopped pushing it since. But as anyone who's followed this debate already knows, this is not about vaccine side effects, government mandates, or even lobbyist links. It's about sex. More »
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The HPV vaccine has been on the market since 2006, but as of last year, only 49% of girls have had their shots. Health officials are disappointed by the response, but they say there are several reasons the cervical cancer vaccine isn't catching on — including parents' refusal to acknowledge that one day their precious little girl will be having sex. More »
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Rick Perry has been backing away from his controversial move to mandate the vaccination of middle school girls against HPV, which can cause cervical cancer. There's really only one question here: Was it "pro-life" or "pro-sex"? More »
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A new study of 1,100 men in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico found that half were infected with HPV, which is quickly being seen as evidence that boys should be vaccinated with Gardasil. More »
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On the one hand, most young women have not reported adverse affects to the widely-recommended HPV vaccine. On the other, when it goes bad, it's really bad. More »
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The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, was expected to be a slam-dunk for pharmaceutical giant Merck. Instead, it's considered a business failure. Among the many reasons: The politicization of inoculating little girls against future STDs. More »
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Lately, it seems like whenever I turn on Hulu, I'm greeted with an ad for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. As someone who cares a lot about reproductive health, this should make me happy. Except I just can't stand the ads. More »
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•  A mother from Albuquerque is suing the secretary of Health and Human Services for recommending Gardasil, a vaccine designed the prevent cervical cancer. She claims her daughter developed a seizure disorder after she received the shots. More »
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• Ekaterina Gerasimova is supposedly a latter day Russian Mata Hari. Political figures claim that she has been trusted with the mission of ruining their reputations by luring them into compromising situations with sex and drugs. More »
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• A CDC advisory committee has recommended GlaxoSmithKline's HPV vaccine Cervarix, which is similar to Merck's Gardasil vaccine, for use in girls and women. But, some say Cervarix is overpriced because it offers less protection than Gardasil. • More »
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Today the FDA voted to approve the vaccine Cervarix, an HPV vaccine created by British drug company GlaxoSmithKline. The vaccine is expected to become available later this year, but Glaxo has not released any information about pricing.•  More »
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The FDA may not approve Gardasil for boys because it is not cost effective. "If coverage in girls ends up being low, then vaccinating boys became much more attractive," said researcher Jane Kim. [Reuters] More »
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• A new book seeks to explain why women are "more in touch with their emotions," among other brain-related things. Apparently, it's because we're more connected, meaning our right and left hemispheres are more closely bound. •  More »
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• A DNA test of the skull fragment previously believed to be Hitler's has revealed it is actually a woman's. The find has raised questions about what happened to Hitler's remains and whether he really committed suicide. • More »
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• Ugh. Could someone please explain why Hugh Hefner is appearing in ads for Guitar Hero 5? Does seeing him in his bathrobe, surrounded by pants-less playmates playing air-guitar actually make anyone want to buy the game? • More »
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On September 9, a Food & Drug Administration advisory committee will consider whether Gardasil should be approved for boys and if Cervarix, another HPV vaccine approved for women in developing countries, should be sold in the U.S. [Business Week] More »
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In the most comprehensive safety study since its approval, the CDC reports that Gardisil isn't more dangerous than other vaccines. However, Merck promoted Gardasil by providing undisclosed funding to associations while ignoring poor women most at risk for cervical cancer. More »
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• A White House representative asked the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine to remove posters that mention the Obama daughters and call for healthier school lunches from the Metro stations where they are currently displayed. The PCRM refused. • More »
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• According to candidate Mehdi Karroubi, some protesters of the Iranian elections were raped in prison. Karroubi wrote: "Some young male detainees were raped [and] some young female detainees were raped in a way that have caused serious injuries." • More »
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The World Health Organization has approved Cervarix, a second cervical cancer vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline. This will hopefully mean good things for women in developing countries. More »
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The makers of Gardasil are trying to get the HPV vaccine approved for boys, which is why now people are questioning the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, rather than if it makes girls slutty. More »
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• New evidence released in the Caylee Anthony case: Five days after Caylee's disappearance, Casey Anthony allegedly wrote in her diary: "I have no regrets...I just hope that the end justifies the means." • More »
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Drugmaker Merck has asked the FDA to approve the Gardasil vaccine’s use for boys ages 9 to 26. For those who don’t know, Gardasil is a vaccine that protects against HPV and cervical cancer. More »
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• Merck and Co reported today that Gardasil may protect men from HPV-caused infection and More »
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Though experts are still questioning the cost effectiveness of Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine recommended for women ages 11 to 26, the CDC has found that reports of serious adverse events, including deaths following the administration of the vaccine, were not related to the shot. According to the Wall Street Journal, the CDC looked at 375,000 doses of the vaccine, and found "no increased risk of a pre-specified set of possible side effects — such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder, stroke, blood clots, fainting, appendicitis and a serious allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis — among vaccine recipients compared to a similar group of patients who didn't receive the vaccine." More »
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In spite of recommendations from the CDC against the practice, the Department of Homeland Security is now requiring that immigrants receive the cervical cancer vaccination, Gardasil, before entering the U.S. permanently. According to the Wall Street Journal, because of a 1996 law, when the CDC recommended Gardasil for women ages 11 to 26 two years ago the vaccine automatically went on the must-list for green card applicants. More »
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• A suburb of Tel Aviv will use DNA found in dog poop will reward and punish dog owners who properly (or improperly) dispose of their pup's droppings on the street. • Meet 5 "Fiesty" Presidential Daughters, including Margaret Truman Daniel (President Truman's daughter) who co-hosted a radio program with Mike Wallace, and Elizabeth Harrison Walker (President Harrison's daughter) who wrote a monthly newsletter about financial advice for women.• An artist from Virginia Beach known as the "Lint Lady" makes pictures of realistic objects using layers of dryer lint that range from $20 to $3,500 each. • More »
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Some experts think that the overly aggressive marketing of HPV vaccine Gardasil and the lobbying of Gardasil manufacturer Merck has led to the vaccine's potential over-prescription. According to the New York Times, "Some experts worry about the consequences of the rapid rollout of the new vaccines without more medical evidence about how best to deploy them. They say that because of the aggressive marketing, even parents of girls who are far from being sexually active may feel pressured into giving them a vaccine that is not yet needed and whose long-term impact is still unclear." Merck, of course, has already made big buckies with their zealous Gardasil-selling. Gardasil has "a projected sales of $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion outside Europe this year, and more from sales in Europe, where Merck sells the vaccine through a joint venture with Sanofi Aventis," the Times reports. [NY Times] More »
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When Australian schoolgirls between the ages of 12-16 in New South Wales were offered free Gardasil vaccinations, about 23 percent of the girls opted out of receiving the vaccine. While a NSW Health spokeswoman says that the rate of girls participating is "high for a new program with a three dose schedule," others believe that it reveals worries about the side-effects of the vaccine, which includes headaches and dizziness. A spokeswoman for the Australian Family Association also says that the vaccine program assumes that all young people have multiple sex partners (although the vaccine is given at a younger age for preventative reasons, not because they think that all 12-year-olds are at an immediate risk to HPV). [The Daily Telegraph] More »
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A couple of major news outlets, including CBS and CNN have been reporting that several deaths and different major ailments have been "linked" to the Gardasil vaccine. One girl got pancreatitis, according to CNN, while CBS has reported on a girl with seizures and another who suffered from paralysis after getting Gardasil. Feministe calls bullshit on these fearmongering reports, pointing out that while 15 deaths had been reported to the FDA after the Gardasil vaccination was administered, CNN's article "immediately looses its steam when we realize that none of those deaths have been linked to Gardasil" by the CDC. However, "The CDC is looking into whether or not Gardasil could be related to 10 confirmed cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease." The takeaway: don't panic yet, my pets. Gardasil has been distributed 26 million times so far with very few incidences. [CBS, CNN, Feministe] More »
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Gardasil has been denied delayed approval by the FDA for use in women ages 27-45. According to Reuters, "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a letter regarding the application that it has completed its review and there are 'issues' that preclude approval within the expected review time frame." Merck was also not granted approval to expand the cervical cancer vaccine to cover a greater number of HPV strains. The company still plans to seek approval for male use of Gardasil. UPDATE: If you're over 26, you can still get the shot, it just will not be covered by most insurances nor is it recommended for use by the FDA. [Reuters via MSNBC] More »
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Doctors have linked some cases of oral cancer in men to human papillomavirus. According to the New York Times, "more than 40 percent of the [oral] tumors in men were infected with HPV." HPV can infect the mouth during oral sex, and researchers think the uptick in HPV-associated oral cancer in men is due, in part, to "changing sexual behaviors." Says University of Michigan professor Dr. Francis P. Worden, "The high risk of HPV-associated cancers in men suggests that vaccinating all adolescents is something that should strongly be considered." Gardasil for all! [NYT] More »
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According to news reports, the FDA will decide whether or not to extend the the administration of Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, to women ages 27-45, by this summer. Currently, Gardasil is only approved for use in women ages 9-26. A spokeswoman for Merck, the company that produces Gardasil, emphasized that the vaccine prevents four different strains of HPV, so even women who already have HPV can consider getting the Gardasil shots in order to prevent strains they do not have. The current HPV tests do not differentiate between the types of the virus. [Gardasil] More »
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We were aware that Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, was being tested on men back in November when our Jezegay Ryan wrote about his experience as a guinea pig in a clinical study testing the vaccine on dudes. Penis-scraping and ass-poking aside, Ryan was overjoyed that he would be immunized against anal warts, and now it seems that by 2009, other males can feel the distinct thrill of being wart-resistant. But will males actually get the Garadsil shots, even if they're readily available? Except for the warts, straight men do not have to deal with the repercussions of HPV, which can cause cervical cancer in women. (In the United States, 3,700 women die from cervical cancer each year.) Over the weekend, the New York Times asked parents of tween boys if they would allow their children to be given Gardasil, and the results were a mixed bag. More »
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