The recent death of 14yr old Natalie Morton following vaccination with Cervarix vaccine has led to growing fears among parents about the cervical cancer vaccine which was introduced in school last September (08). The main question arising from this fear is:
Should I allow my 12/13 yr old daughter to be vaccinated with Cervarix and does it do more harm than good?
Parents are eager to know whether the risk of having the Cervarix vaccine is greater than the risk of getting the HPV virus and developing cervical cancer as a result. This is not an easy question to answer though sources show that clinical trials of Cervarix claim to have produced good results in the fight against cervical cancer.
It doesn’t help to reduce parent’s fears that all is not black and white when it comes to cervical cancer, HPV and Cervarix. For example:
- Not every girl who gets HPV will develop abnormal cells leading to cervical cancer.
- Not every HPV virus can be stopped in its tracks by Cervarix as there are different strains. Cervarix only guards against HPV strains 16 and 18 which are thought to cause 70% of all cervical cancers.
- It is disputed in some quarters that HPV is a sexually transmitted disease and where it is sexually transmitted that transmission is not restricted to sexual intercourse, it could include all forms of intimate contact and touching.
Other questions parents are asking include:
How long does Cervarix remain effective?
Sources suggest Cervarix remains effective for 6.4yrs so girls are unprotected by this vaccine after the age of 18 – 20. However by this age it is believed to be the case that young women have developed a thicker uterus lining and thus more natural protection. This is why the health professionals consider there is a need to vaccinate young girls as early as it is in their early teens that they are the most vulnerable to infection.
Do we still need smear (pap) tests if we’ve been vaccinated?
Cervical cancer was brought into the limelight a few months ago when reality TV star Jade Goody was diagnosed with and shortly afterwards died from cervical cancer. Jade Goody died and she lived, in the full media glare and while some criticised her continued appearance on our screens, it actually proved to be monumentally helpful in terms of raising awareness and saving lives. Many girls had smear tests after reading about Jade and some found abnormal cells.
Early screening can save lives and as stated earlier the vaccination does not protect against all forms of HPV and offers limited protection in terms of how long it remains effective. In summary, regardless of the vaccination program having regular smear tests (pap tests) is essential to catch this cancer early.
What can you do to prevent HPV and cervical cancer?
- Delay sexual contact
Young girls can delay first sexual activity which includes intimate touching until they have increased protection around the age of 18 – 20
Studies have shown that women who eat a diet rich in Vitamins A & C, folic acid, beta-carotene & selenium have less cervical cancer than those who do not. These studies though are preliminary.
- Coriolus Versicolor mushroom supplements
There has been a lot of scientific research into the effect of Coriolus Versicolor (powerful antioxidant) and its effects on many things including HPV. The PDF document attached (published July 09) details one such study and its findings. For a summary of the results please read page 8 (last page). These results offer great hope in the fight against cervical cancer.
http://www.mycologyresearch.com/pdf/newsletter/Clinical_Journal_of_Mycology_Vol2_July2009.pdf
Form the linked source:
“The studies suggest important antioxidant and cytoprotective enzymes are present in the different fungi found suggesting considerable therapeutic strategies based on nutritional interventions with mushrooms to limit and or prevent adverse consequences associated with free radical induced damage in neurodegenerative disorders.”
It’s not an easy read, but you should be able to derive some useful information from it.
