Currently the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccines are approved in the United States up to the age of 26. This has nothing to do with safety but due to the fact that the studies submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) involved this age range. The HPV vaccines were primarily studied in women aged …
Continue reading “HPV vaccine over age 26 – is it worth it?”
The Internet, or parts of it, claims the HPV vaccine is ineffective or less effective for African American women than for white women. This idea appears to have originated with Bustle and their take on a study that looked at HPV types in women undergoing testing of pre-cancers of the cervix. Drawing conclusions about the …
Continue reading “The HPV vaccine protects African American and white women equally from cancer”
Here are the percentage of cancers (by site and sex) due to HPV 16/18 and 31/33/45/52/58 The older HPV vaccine covers HPV 16/18. The new 9 valent HPV vaccine protects against 16/18 as well as 31/33/45/52/58. The vaccines are highly effective and have already begun to reduce pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix. Current data indicates …
Continue reading “The importance of the HPV vaccine in one graphic. Really.”
Today the publisher of the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest newspaper, wrote that the article “A wonder drug’s dark side” will be removed from the online site. This is 15 days after it was originally published. It obviously still lives on in print and in screen shots, but now at least no anti-vaccine groups will be …
Once of the concerns tossed around by critics of the HPV vaccine is the fear that it might only delay HPV infections. This was brought up by Dr. Harper on the infamous Katie Couric HPV episode, it’s also not an infrequent comment left on my blog, and of course it’s bandied about by a variety …
Continue reading “What if the HPV vaccine only lasts for 10 years?”
When I was 22 weeks pregnant with triplets I had a craving for a Jamba Juice. So I had one. Three days later I ruptured my membranes and my son Aidan was born and died. During the hospitalization that followed I had a craving for another Jamba Juice and my then husband stalled and delayed …
Continue reading “Toronto Star claims HPV vaccine unsafe. Science says the Toronto Star is wrong.”
After viewing Katie Couric’s show an acquaintance’s mother sent her this e-mail. Because many people believe the health information they see on TV, especially when it comes form a source like Couric who has been known, until this point anyway, as a trusted journalist. Kate’s Couric’s “take” was about as scientific as a show entitled, …
Continue reading “Impact of Katie Couric’s misinformation on HPV vaccine in one image”
While the HPV vaccine is an important weapon against cervical cancer, one of the vaccines (Gardasil) also provides coverage against HPV types 6 and 11, which cause genital warts. As this vaccine targets 4 types of HPV (16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer as well as 6 and 11) it is called a quadrivalent …
Continue reading “HPV vaccine almost eliminates genital warts for young women, new study”
I published 97 posts in 2012 and during the year my blog was viewed approximately 970,000 times. I’m humbled that anyone took the time to read anything that I wrote. Some posts were read by a couple of hundred people and some posts by a couple of hundred thousand. I don’t think the writing on …
The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the virus that causes genital warts, most cervical and vulvar cancers, and many anal cancers. HPV is particularly troublesome because even after optimal treatment recurrence is problematic. Never mind the ongoing risk of cancer, it often takes multiples visits with painful biopsies to closely monitor the situation. Many women …
Dr. Jen Gunter 