Boys could be next for HPV vaccine
With the world’s first mass immunization of girls against
cervical cancer, experts are considering extending the treatment
to boys. Although the effectiveness of inoculating boys against
the human papillomavirus (HPV) is not yet known, many health
professionals contacted say male vaccination is the next logical
step.
Dr Julia Brotherton of the National Centre for Immunization
Research (NCIRS) said that men cannot suffer cervical cancer
but they do carry HPV and spread the disease through sexual
intercourse.
They can also contract anal and tonsillar cancers from the
virus, while the vaccine protects both genders from genital
warts.
Dr Brotherton drew a parallel between cervical cancer treatment
and rubella inoculations, which used to be given only to schoolgirls
but are now issued to both genders to stop carriers spreading
the disease.
Last year’s Australian of the Year, Professor Ian Frazer,
who led the research program that developed the breakthrough
vaccine, has already had both his sons vaccinated.
Nevertheless, he warns there is some way to go before both
sexes can expect publicly-funded inoculation. Professor Frazer
pointed to an experimental herpes vaccine that seemed equally
effective for both sexes in theory, but worked much better
in girls than in boys in trials.
Australia already has a proud history in the fight against
cervical cancer: what was once the second-highest killer of
Australian women has dropped over the past 20 years to the
15th most common cause of death, with 327 fatal cases in 1984
falling to 212 in 2004, thanks to a national pap smear program.
“But even though it’s been really successful,
we’re interested in the vaccine because pap smears really
can be quite painful,” Dr Brotherton says. “We
want to get to the point where pap smears won’t be necessary.”
Professor Freddy Sitas of the NSW Cancer Council believes
pap smears will continue to be a part of cervical cancer prevention,
and says that any moves to immunize boys are conditional on
controlling the virus in females.
“Vaccinating boys may provide some additional protection
for women getting cervical cancer in the future by reducing
the amount of HPV in the population overall, but the amount
of additional protection will depend on how many girls and
women are vaccinated,” he said.
“Several important studies are currently being conducted
on the rates of HPV infection in men of varying ages and on
the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing this infection
in men, so when these studies have been completed we will
be better able to determine the benefits of HPV vaccination
for males.”
Fish oil improves reading in ADHD kids
Daily doses of fish oil appear to help ADHD kids read, write
and spell better, Australian research suggests.
Researchers from the University of South Australia and Queensland
University of Technology found that the Omega-3 fats in fish
oil appear to boost literacy in hyperactive children.
The results were anecdotal, but lead researcher Dr Natalie
Sinn said they were “significant” and would now
be studied further.
“A quarter of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) have learning difficulties, but we saw substantial
improvements in this area,” Dr Sinn said.
“The Omega-3s clearly seems to help in this way specifically,
but we’re not exactly sure how yet.”
The research team is further investigating the link between
fish oil and ADHD after an initial study was completed last
year.
The research found notable improvements in half of the 145
children who took fish oil capsules over 30 weeks.
These kids took oil rich in the long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids
called EPA, but the team are now studying whether the other
acid, DHA, can also help.
“We now want to find out which of the two is most important,”
Dr Sinn said.
“We know that Omega-3 fatty acid DHA is also very important
for brain development, and many parents are confused as to
which formulation of fatty acids to buy for their children.”
The new study will also investigate why some children responded
better to the oil treatment than others.
Dr Sinn said there was evidence that people with ADHD and
other emotional disorders may have difficulty metabolizing
Omega-3, a problem which may actually have contributed to
their condition.
The team will test blood fatty acid levels in the children
to see if they can establish patterns between levels and treatment
response.
“It might be that some children need higher doses to
get the benefits,” Dr Sinn said.
“Kim Patra is a qualified Registered Nurse and Midwife
that has been living and working in Bali for almost twenty
years. She now runs her own private practice and medical referral
service from her Kuta office. Kim is happy to discuss any
health concerns with you and she may be contacted via e-mail
at info#chcbali.com or Hp. 081 2366 0000”.
