Tag Archives: immunization

Boys Allowed – The HPV Vaccine is for Guys Too!

A few years back, 2006 to be exact, you might have seen those catchy, melodic commercials urging all girls to become “one less” woman affected by cervical cancer. Whoever watched these TV ads most likely became convinced that this vaccine only prevents cervical cancer and that ONLY GIRLS were allowed to have it.

Well the truth is that WAS correct…the Gardasil vaccine was not FDA approved for males until a few years later in 2009. It wasn’t until 2012 that the CDC decided to extend the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine routine vaccination recommendation to boys.Why guys you might ask–boys don’t have a cervix! Why would they need a vaccine that protects against cervical cancer?! Good question! Here are a few statistics that might help you understand the reasons:

  • 75-80% of sexually-active adults will have been infected with HPV before the age of 50.
  • 20 million U.S. residents currently have genital HPV.
  • HPV causes CANCER: Cervical, Vulvar, Vaginal, Oropharyngeal (oral), Anal, and Penile.
    • Yes, the last three on that list affect MEN too.
  •  HPV is now the leading cause of oral cancer — after smoking and sun exposure
    • Oral cancers account for 37.7% of HPV-related cancers. Cervical cancers account for only 32.7%.
    • The death rate for oral cancer is three times higher than that for cervical cancer.
  • About 40% of penile cancer cases are HPV-related, but these rates have basically remained the same.
  • HPV also causes genital warts. Gross.
    • That can affect ANYONE regardless of sex.

These stats can be pretty scary. I mean…who knew that your chances of getting HPV might be higher that the score you’re going to get on that next calculus test? The good news is most of the time your body’s immune system can fight off HPV and get rid of it all on its own. The bad news…you don’t get to choose whether or not you’ll get rid of it on your own. The solution? BOYS and GIRLS need to all get vaccinated and get it done sooner rather than later!

Photo by Cristina Sansone

Photo by Cristina Sansone

So HPV vaccine rates among women are increasing. 20.7% in 2010 to 29.5% in 2011 reported receiving at least one or more doses. More men are getting the vaccine too (1.5% in 2010 to 2.1% in 2011). BUT the amount of guys getting vaccinated doesn’t even compare to the amount of girls getting vaccinated! The fact is most guys don’t think that they need it. But now YOU know better, right?!

So GUYS and GIRLS, here’s what you can do to save your self from the evil Human Papilloma Virus:

  1. If you haven’t already asked for the HPV Vaccine, talk to your parents, your doctor, or your school nurse and tell them that you want it!
  2. The recommended age to be vaccinated is around 11 or 12, but if you’re older Not To Worry! You can still get the vaccine until you’re 26! But it is most effective to get the vaccine well before you experience any sexual encounters. So get it as early as you can just so you can get those 3 shots over and done with.
  3. Make sure you get ALL 3 doses of the HPV vaccine. Yes, there are 3 :( . You should get the 2nd dose a month after the first, and the 3rd dose 6 months after the first. Remember you can still pick up wherever you left off if you don’t follow this time line exactly, BUT try your best to follow the timeline
  4. The HPV can be pretty pricy, BUT the good news is that if you and your family have health insurance, the vaccine should be covered if you are 26 or younger. If you don’t have health insurance and you’re under 18 DON’T WORRY there is something awesome called the Vaccines For Children Program (VFC) that will provide free vaccines for children who are eligible. Just ask your mom or dad to look them up!
  5. Finally, SPREAD THE WORD! Tell all of your friends, GUYS and GIRLS to get vaccinated! Help protect them from HPV related cancers later in life.
Photo by Cristina Sansone

Photo by Cristina Sansone

P.S.
If you happened to watch that episode of HBO’s Girls where they talked about HPV, just throw everything you heard out the window. Most of their facts were just…not factual. During this episode Hannah played by Lena Dunham is diagnosed with HPV after being given an HPV test. This in reality would not be approved for women under 30 unless abnormal cells are present during a pap smear, which is not the case for Hannah. Needless to say, this is not the only statement about HPV that would lead viewers to false beliefs. Check out this article from the NY Times.

Image Source: CNN

BUT yes there is an actual HPV test… for women. There is not an FDA approved test for men yet. However, great strides are being made in this HPV DNA testing. Women should remember to get pap smears regularly (every two years) beginning either at age 21 or after having sex for the first time, whichever comes first. GUYS… remember to stay vigilant. Be aware of the symptoms.

P.P.S.
Two Quick Disclaimers– Gardasil is the only vaccine approved for both males and females and to protect against certain strains of genital warts. Cervarix is only approved for women. Also the HPV Vaccine does not protect against ALL strains of HPV so in addition to getting the vaccine. The BEST thing you can do is practice SAFE SEX!

By CRISTINA SANSONE

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Sign of the Times

image source: blog.commarts.wisc.edu

If anyone watches the new HBO series GIRLS, yay for you! It’s a fabulous (and I mean that in the least glamorous way) show about four women in their early 20s trying to figure out what life poses for them in the 21st century. In a recent episode, Hannah, the main character, finds out she has HPV. When talking it over to her current partner, he says that he got tested for it and doesn’t have it. At this point, I am angry and screaming at my TV.

HPV, which stands for Human Papillomavirus, is a viral sexually transmitted disease. It is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and 50% to 75% of sexually active people will get HPV at some point in their lives. There are  about 100 strains, 30 of which can lead to genital warts or cervical cancer (Discovering Human Sexuality by Baldwin, Baldwin and LeVay). The rest aren’t sexually transmitted and will heal on their own. But some strains, such as the ones that lead to genital warts and cervical cancer cannot be cured. In fact, every viral STI is not curable; once you have it, it is with you for life.

Once infected with HPV, a person may not experience any symptoms. In fact, the most common symptom of all STI’s is no symptoms at all (Planned Parenthood). In the case of HPV types 6 and 11 (Discovering Human Sexuality by Baldwin, Baldwin, and LeVay), though, people may notice single, soft pink bumps or a cauliflower-like growth in a few months after infection. These lesions are not painful, but they are highly contagious; and definitely not a pretty sight (trust me, if you want to get scared, look at pictures of HPV infected people; it’s better than a horror flick)! These are genital warts.

HPV types 16 and 18 can cause different, precancerous lesions in the genital area (Discovering Human Sexuality by Baldwin, Baldwin, and LeVay). These are the types that can cause cervical cancer and cancer of the vulva in women and sometimes anal, throat, and mouth cancer in both women and men. So it really doesn’t matter what type of sexual intercourse (vaginal/anal/oral) someone is engaging in at the time of initial infection; HPV is nonselective. Other symptoms of HPV include itching, irritation, and bleeding (Planned Parenthood-Los Angeles).

Women can easily be tested for HPV. Simply by taking a pap smear, a gynecologist will be able to tell if there is some kind of abnormality (Discovering Human Sexuality by Baldwin, Baldwin, and LeVay). Men, on the other hand, cannot be tested (Planned Parenthood-Los Angeles). This is why I got so angry at my television. A male can be a carrier of HPV and not know it, simply because he cannot be tested and because he may not have any symptoms. People must not forget that the most common symptom of an STI is NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL. Yes, there are statistics on how many males have HPV, but those statistics are only taken by the males who have genital warts (Planned Parenthood-Los Angeles). No other strains can report statistics for males.

Luckily, there is now a vaccine for HPV: Gardasil. Gardasil is given in 3 doses: the 1st at around ages 11 or 12, the 2nd 2 months afterwards, and the 3rd 6 months after the initial shot. The vaccine protects against the 4 types of HPV said above (6, 11, 16, and 18) (Discovering Human Sexuality by Badlwin, Baldwin, LeVay). Treatment for genital warts can occur. Doctors can freeze the warts, cut them off, or apply podophyllin to remove them (Planned Parenthood-Los Angeles).  But, like I said before, there is no cure for HPV.  Only its symptoms can be treated.

By ARIELLE COLON

image source: Saturday Night Live – NBC

Whoop! There it is.

image source: tenthamendmentcenter.com

WHOOP! There it is…in Washington. Washingtonians are currently in the midst of a whooping cough outbreak. It’s only May and there have already been 1,100 confirmed cases. “That’s 10 times as many as this time last year, and health officials fear the number may rise,” reports NPR.

Whooping couch (also known as Pertussis) is a very serious and contagious illness caused by Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis is spread by coughing or sneezing while in close contact with others. One person coughs or sneezes the bacteria out and another person breathes it in (gross). So make sure to cover your nose/mouth when you sneeze/cough. And please, wash your hands!

image source: http://www.achd.net

Pertussis starts off with the typical cold symptoms: runny nose, congestion, sneezing, cough, or fever. But after 1-2 weeks, the cough gets really bad. “Pertussis can cause violent and rapid coughing, over and over, until the air is gone from the lungs and you are forced to inhale with a loud ‘whooping’ sound‘” (CDC). What does it sound like? Click here to find out. Babies may have apnea, which is “a pause in the child’s breathing pattern” (CDC). If that happens, take him or her to the hospital asap.

Though whooping couch is highly contagious, it’s also preventable and treatable. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent pertussis. Parents should also keep infants away from anyone who has cold or cough symptoms. In the United States, DTaP is the recommended pertussis vaccine for children. It’s a combo vaccine that protects kids against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. 3 for the price of 1? What a steal. Here are the vaccination recommendations from the CDC:

  1. infants and children: For max protection, a series of 5 DTap shots are given over the course of 4 to 6 years.
  2. pre-teens/teens: The protection power of the vaccine they got as kids may have decreased, so it’s recommended they get the Tdap booster vaccine.
  3. pregnant women: “By getting Tdap during pregnancy, maternal pertussis antibodies transfer to the newborn, likely providing protection against pertussis in early life, before the baby starts getting DTaP vaccines” (CDC).
  4. adults: If they didn’t get the Tdap vaccine as preteens or teens, then they should get one dose of Tdap.

That list pretty much covers everyone. According to the CDC, about 1 in 5 infants with pertussis get pneumonia. The CDC explains that “many infants who get pertussis are infected by parents, older siblings, or other caregivers who might not even know they have the disease.” So protect your loved ones and yourself and make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date.

Though pertussis vaccines are very effective, they aren’t 100% full proof. If the pertussis bacteria is making its way through the community, there’s still a chance that a vaccinated person can catch the disease. If you or a child develops a cold or severe cough that just doesn’t go away, get checked by your doctor asap. Pertussis is generally treated with antibiotics. It’s important to get treated early on before the whooping starts.

WHOOP! There it is…the 411 on WHOOPing cough.

image source: canitbesaturdaynow.com

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

School Spirit

image source: washingtonindependent.com

No one likes needles. Getting your shots done not only relieves your anxiety of receiving them, but it is also unbelievably important to YOU and the rest of the human population. For those seniors getting ready to pack up their bags for college, or for those grads setting off for graduate school soon, there is one key vaccination you need: the meningococcal vaccine.

Meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitides (CDC). The infection affects what covers your spinal cord and brain, or your meninges. Meninx, which is singular for meninges, is a membrane that covers and protects a person’s nervous system. As much as 2,500 people get infected each year in the United States, and 300 of those people die from it (New York Dept. of Health).

Once these bacteria cause illness, the warning signs to watch out for within a few days are: feeling confused, feeling nauseous, vomiting (that’s never pleasant), and becoming really sensitive to light (CDC). This may sound like your common hangover, but meningococcal meningitis, one of the infections caused by meningococcal disease, can actually cause permanent hearing loss, brain damage or death within a few hours! Definitely more serious!

The most common people to be infected by the bacteria: youngsters living in dorms. In fact, 100-125 meningococcal disease incidences a year are from college students living in residence halls. Out of those incidences, 5-15 young adults will die (ACHA). Know why? It’s because people living in such closed quarters are just more likely to spread their spit and germs with one another.

Once someone is infected, the bacteria will infect their mucosal lining, bloodstream, and then vital organs. The way people spread the bacteria can be by direct contact (kissing or sharing drinks, anyone?) or simply through the air (like sneezing and coughing).

So if you plan on doing a lot of making out in college, this vaccine might just be a good idea for you and anyone else you’re going to school or living with. Other people who need the shot:

  • people being recruited into the military
  • people without a spleen
  • microbiologists exposed to the bacteria
  • people who are traveling to other countries where meningitis is common
  • people with compromised immune systems

image source: blogspot.com

Let’s say you got the vaccine when you were younger. Think you’re safe? NOPE. MCV4, the meningococcal vaccine, only protects you for up to 5 years. If the last time you got MCV4 is close to that, you definitely need a booster shot, preferably when you’re between ages 16-18. When you do get a booster shot, it will boost your immune system and will make sure the first vaccination you get works.  That way, you will be protected from meningococcal disease!

Now don’t let your college experience become a nightmare waiting to happen.  Get vaccinated!

By ARIELLE COLON