Herpes Testing Blog

Reporting the results of a study published in the Lancet, GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) said Tuesday that its human papillomavirus vaccine Cervarix was effective not only against HPV strains most likely to cause cervical cancer but also other strains of the STD.

The subjects of the late-stage trial were 18,644 females ages 15 to 25. They included females with evidence of past or current HPV infection or high-grade Pap smear results, plus others with no evidence of current or previous HPV infection. Case subjects received Cervarix; control subjects received hepatitis A vaccine. The shots were administered at baseline, one month and six months.

The trial sought to test the efficacy of Cervarix against HPV types 16 and 18, the strains most likely to result in cervical cancer. Women who received all three doses of the HPV vaccine achieved 92.9 percent protection. Excluding some lesions not likely caused by HPV types 16 or 18, GSK said the vaccine provided 98.1 percent protection against those strains. In addition, the researchers noted evidence that Cervarix was protective against HPV types 31, 33, and 45. GSK said this was the first time any HPV vaccine evidenced significant protection against precancerous lesions caused by other HPV strains.

Cervarix is already in use in the European Union and many other nations. A decision by the Food and Drug Administration on whether to approve the vaccine for use in the United States could come by autumn.

The report, “Efficacy of Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-Adjuvanted Vaccine Against Cervical Infection and Precancer Caused by Oncogenic HPV Types (PATRICIA): Final Analysis of a Double-Blind, Randomized Study in Young Women,” was published in the Lancet (07.07.09; doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61248-4).

For the complete article, and more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please refer to http://www.cdcnpin.org/.

The World Health Organization has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Cervarix, paving the way for UN agencies and partners to buy the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for poor countries worldwide.

Certain HPV strains are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. Of the 280,000 cervical cancer deaths globally, more than 80 percent occur in developing countries. Screening and treatment programs have dramatically reduced the disease’s incidence in developed countries.

Last year, GAVI, formerly known as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, made purchasing cervical cancer vaccines for the world’s 73 poorest countries a priority. GAVI, comprising the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UN agencies, and the World Bank among others, is a major buyer of vaccines for the developing world.

Though it has not been approved for use in the United States or Japan, Cervarix is available in 97 other countries. The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide whether to approve Cervarix in the coming months. Currently, the only HPV vaccine available for the US market is Merck & Co.’s Gardasil. Cervarix has won more contracts from government health programs beyond the United States.

Both vaccines typically cost around $360 for a three-shot dose. It is not clear whether GSK will discount Cervarix for distribution in poor countries.

For the complete article, and more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please refer to http://www.cdcnpin.org/

What do you call a condition that’s widespread in humans and often symptom-free, yet can lead to cancer? Dangerous.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as one in four women are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), and the numbers are rising, especially among young women.

Some HPV types can cause genital warts. Other HPV types can cause cancer in the genital area. But most people who have HPV don’t know it, because the virus often has no signs or symptoms. Because of this, the virus can spread without any parties involved becoming aware of its transmission.

According to the CDC, about 20 million Americans are infected with HPV. Another 6.2 million Americans become infected each year. About 74 percent of new infections occur in 15- to 24-year-old men and women.
“It is very prevalent,” said Diana Gaviria, Health Officer for the Berkeley County (W.Va.) Health Department. “We see women from their mid-teens up through their 30s being diagnosed, and I’d say that most of them are women in their teens and 20s.”

The CDC predicts more than half of all sexually active men and women will become infected at some time in their lives. “HPV is such a common virus that anyone who is sexually active can come in contact with it and become infected,” Gaviria said.
According to CDC, HPV is only transmitted through sexual contact. However, intercourse is not necessary because it can be transmitted with any kind of genital contact with someone who has HPV. The virus is not found in bodily fluids.

For the complete article, please refer to http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=226664&format=html

The death of Farrah Fawcett after her long and courageous battle with anal cancer has saddened all of those who loved her.

Anal cancer is closely related to the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is the virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer. This does not mean that Farrah had a history of sexual promiscuity; it just means that like many Americans, she was exposed to the virus at some point in her past.

Approximately between 45 and 90 percent of all caners of the anus are caused by the HPV virus. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. Approximately twenty five percent of females in the United States are infected with the HPV virus, however only a small fraction of these women will develop anal cancer.

For the complete article, see http://www.examiner.com/x-12106-Charleston-Family-Health-Examiner~y2009m6d28-More-on-Farrah-Fawcett-Anal-Cancer-and-HPV

Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), but not syphilis, according to a study of adult African men published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In a previous study, the same research team found that adult circumcision could reduce the risk of HIV infection.

Efforts to increase the practice of male circumcision in areas with high rates of sexually transmitted infections, including Africa, could have a tremendous benefit, say the study’s authors. Genital herpes has been associated with an increased risk of HIV, and HPV can cause genital warts as well as a higher risk of anal, cervical (in women), and penile cancers.

Roughly three-quarters of U.S. adults have had at least one HPV infection, according to an editorial by Matthew R. Golden, M.D., and Judith N. Wasserheit, M.D., both of the University of Washington. Although vaccines against some of the most dangerous HPV strains have been approved for girls ages 13 to 26, the vaccines are expensive and routine Pap tests are still necessary to pick up cervical cancers.

It’s not clear why circumcision may affect infection rates. But the study authors suggest that penile foreskin may provide a moist, favorable environment for herpes and HPV to survive and enter cells on the skin’s surface. Once the foreskin is surgically removed, the risk of infection may be reduced.

They also note, however, that male circumcision is not completely effective in preventing sexually transmitted infections. Safe sex practices, including consistent condom use, are still necessary to provide the best protection.

For the complete article, please see http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/26/healthmag.circumcision.hpv.herpes/index.html?iref=newssearch.