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New risks discovered for HPV (under fingernails)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | July 31, 2007 | Tom Paulson

Posted on 08/01/2007 11:01:53 AM PDT by mngran

Controversy continues to plague efforts to protect young women against cervical cancer by vaccinating them against HPV, the human papillomavirus, but one leading scientist's discovery could throw a monkey wrench into the debate.

"We found HPV under the fingernails of young men," said Dr. Laura Koutsky, a University of Washington epidemiologist.

Koutsky led some of the pioneering research and clinical trials that resulted in an HPV vaccine, Merck's Gardasil, recently approved for use in girls and young women. The reason her fingernail finding is a potential bombshell has to do with why the vaccine is controversial.

HPV, which is the leading cause of most cervical cancers, is primarily a sexually transmitted disease. Opponents of HPV vaccines believe that immunizing girls against this virus sends the message that engaging in sex at a young age is acceptable behavior.

The presence of HPV under fingernails, she said, at the very least suggests another possible route of transmission. It's an additional route of infection, she said, that could explain some previous apparent anomalies such as HPV infection in infants and young girls who had not yet engaged in sexual activity.

(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cancer; gardasil; health; hpv; hpvvaccine; humanpapillomavirus; merck; promiscuity; riskybehavior; vaccine; vaccines; women
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To: dangerdoc; weegee; Mordacious
If the entire female population were immunized, it would have the effect of protecting the straight male population. I don’t see how this isn’t clear.

In addition to the other, obvious problems with this argument (e.g., transmission from male to male via female doesn't have to involve a female infection), you're neglecting the fact that a full third of cervical cancers are NOT prevented by the current vaccines (that is, this vaccine is not effective against the HPV types that currently lead to 30% of cervical cancer cases). (See, for example, Harper et al., The Lancet, April 2006(?))

Of course this also doesn't mean we should rush out and vaccinate all men with this current vaccine. Then again, dropping several hundred dollars per person--male and female--on this vaccine would provide the pharmaceutical companies with lots of extra cash with which they could to research some products that are more effective!

101 posted on 08/01/2007 11:55:43 PM PDT by Gondring (I'll give up my right to die when hell freezes over my dead body!)
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To: dangerdoc
If the entire female population were immunized, it would have the effect of protecting the straight male population. I don’t see how this isn’t clear.

And vice versa. Let the entire prepubertal male population do it, and get back to us later. After all, if they care about their future partners....

102 posted on 08/02/2007 12:06:57 AM PDT by Judith Anne (Thank you St. Jude for favors granted.)
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To: dangerdoc; All

What this comes down to is, people don’t trust corps and the Gov to do what’s right anymore. Lust for profits seem to outweigh concern for the common good.


103 posted on 08/02/2007 4:09:23 AM PDT by wolfcreek (2 bad Tyranny, Treachery and Treason never take a vacation...)
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To: dangerdoc
I have never seen a case of human rabies, small pox, polio or even rubella all thanks to mandatory vaccination programs.

The difference is that 90% of HPV infections disappear with no medical intervention.

104 posted on 08/02/2007 4:16:26 AM PDT by palmer
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To: whitedog57

Excellent words whitedog57.
I also believe that everyone should get the vaccine, but that it should be a personal decision and not an edict by the government.
Anyone opting not to get the vaccine has that right it that right should not be revoked.
Not getting it when you know the benefits just shows that to are a moron.


105 posted on 08/02/2007 4:42:21 AM PDT by BuffaloJack
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To: darth

LOL...


106 posted on 08/02/2007 5:37:43 AM PDT by astounded
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To: dangerdoc
My wife is a certified EMT. She doesn't actively work in EMS except as a police/fire/EMS dispatcher, but she did go for the HEP B vaccination. She wanted to be protected in case she ever has to press her skills into service.

My sister is an OB nurse. She has done that for 28 years. Even though should always uses double gloves, she did manage a needle stick during an operation a few years ago. That's when the doctor informed her that the patient was HIV+. It was an unconscionable act to have an HIV+ patient on the operating table without notifying all the personnel in the room of that fact. Thus far, my sister has not exhibited any evidence of HIV infection from that stick.

I had to submit to TB skin tests and lung X-rays before being allowed to work in food service in high school. Your observation of the problem with needle sticks for janitorial or garbage collectors is valid. Employers of these people should recommend the HEP B vaccination to their employees. People in those occupations tend not to be well educated, so it would take some effort to explain the value.

BTW, my undergraduate degree is in molecular biology. I did my graduate work in pathogenic bacteriology, but I decided to shift to computer science/electrical engineering before starting my thesis. All the course work was completed.

107 posted on 08/02/2007 9:46:19 AM PDT by Myrddin
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To: elc
The best protection from cervical cancer is yearly pap smears.

Pap smears do not "protect" against cervical cancer. They can DIAGNOSE cervical cancer at an early stage, but protect infers that it will prevent it from happening, and a Pap smear does not do that.

108 posted on 08/02/2007 12:07:58 PM PDT by Born Conservative (Chronic Positivity - http://jsher.livejournal.com/)
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To: Born Conservative

Pap smears like colonoscopy can diagnose dysplastic (precancerous) changes that can be treated prior to the development of cancer.


109 posted on 08/02/2007 4:35:57 PM PDT by dangerdoc (dangerdoc (not actually dangerous any more))
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