2008 Woodie Awards
Britain to require cancer vaccine in schools
Sarah Westen
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Sci/Tech
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Ministers in Britain have announced that schoolgirls will be vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer beginning in September 2008.
The October 26 issue of BBC News reports: "This goes further than recommended by experts, with all aged 12-13 eligible, and a catch-up campaign up to 18."
Two vaccines have been approved - Gardasil and Cervarix. Gardasil, made by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur, has been approved in 76 countries, and Cervarix, made by GSK, was recently launched in the UK. It has not been decided which brand will be used in the program. The vaccines prevent infection from four strains of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer. HPV is the second largest cause of cancer death among females worldwide.
Previous studies have shown that Gardasil is much more effective when given to girls or women before they are sexually active. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that 11- and 12-year-old girls should routinely receive the vaccine as part of school vaccination requirements; however, Britain is ahead of the United States in approving a vaccination program.
"All vaccines are going to work best before you have the disease," confirmed Dr. Kevin Ault, an associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University in Atlanta and a co-researcher in the studies, published in the May 10, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Young girls have strong immune systems and are unlikely to have gotten the virus, Ault added, also making preteens a practical population to receive the vaccine.
Earlier this year the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization in Britain recommended routine vaccination for 11 to 12-year olds, including the possibility of a catch-up campaign, but only up to the age of 16, BBC News reports.
However, the British government wanted further evidence on the cost benefits of such a program before coming to a decision. The cervical cancer vaccine is given in three injections over six months at a coast of around €300, or about $430 a course per person.
The October 26 issue of BBC News reports: "This goes further than recommended by experts, with all aged 12-13 eligible, and a catch-up campaign up to 18."
Two vaccines have been approved - Gardasil and Cervarix. Gardasil, made by Merck and Sanofi Pasteur, has been approved in 76 countries, and Cervarix, made by GSK, was recently launched in the UK. It has not been decided which brand will be used in the program. The vaccines prevent infection from four strains of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer. HPV is the second largest cause of cancer death among females worldwide.
Previous studies have shown that Gardasil is much more effective when given to girls or women before they are sexually active. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that 11- and 12-year-old girls should routinely receive the vaccine as part of school vaccination requirements; however, Britain is ahead of the United States in approving a vaccination program.
"All vaccines are going to work best before you have the disease," confirmed Dr. Kevin Ault, an associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University in Atlanta and a co-researcher in the studies, published in the May 10, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Young girls have strong immune systems and are unlikely to have gotten the virus, Ault added, also making preteens a practical population to receive the vaccine.
Earlier this year the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization in Britain recommended routine vaccination for 11 to 12-year olds, including the possibility of a catch-up campaign, but only up to the age of 16, BBC News reports.
However, the British government wanted further evidence on the cost benefits of such a program before coming to a decision. The cervical cancer vaccine is given in three injections over six months at a coast of around €300, or about $430 a course per person.
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