HPV Vaccine in Boys: New AAP Guidelines:

The vaccine already has been recommended for girls and young women since 2006 largely to prevent cervical cancer. But health authorities never expressly encouraged the vaccine for young boys, saying only that they “could” receive it to protect against genital warts and certain cancers and to help prevent the spread of HPV.

The American Academy of Paediatrics now recommends giving the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine to boys as well as girls. As you know I have always recommended this. The new Guidelines include:

§               Boys aged 11 to 12 years should be routinely immunized with HPV4, using the same schedule as for girls.

§               Boys and men aged from 13 to 21 years who have not already been immunized or who have not completed their vaccines should finish the series.

§               Men aged from 22 to 26 years who have not already been immunized or who have not finished the full series may be administered the recommended vaccine. (The AAP guidelines note that "cost-efficacy models do not justify a stronger recommendation in this age group.")

(View article via this link http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/759495 )

If you would like me to administer the vaccine to your children or indeed yourself please contact Kelly on 02072244668

In common with American practice I administer Gardesil which protects against more papilloma viruses than Ceverix which is the vaccine currently administered to girls in schools.

Gardesil also has the advantage that it can also be given earlier.

Shingles:

Shingles:

Shingles is an illness in the elderly (ages 60 and above) which is caused by the same virus as chicken pox, meaning that anyone who has had the common childhood illness is at risk of developing shingles in the future. The virus lies dormant following recovery from chickenpox and may become active to cause shingles later in life.

Symptoms include over-sensitivity and a burning sensation, followed by a rash of small raised spots that turn into fluid-filled blisters and then scabs. The rash can be debilitating and the pain may last for a long time after the rash is gone.

In 2010 a Department of Health edict said that all people in the United Kingdom over 70 should receive the new shingles (chickenpox reactivation) vaccine. This move could help to prevent many cases of Shingles which affects one in four adults at some point.

Shingles can be life threatening at any age but tends to be more severe in older people. The NHS has not been able to create a vaccination schedule for these yet as there is difficulty in manufacturing and the manufacturers are already at full capacity. Due to these supply problems very few eligible people have received it. Production is currently being increased to accommodate the potential demand of the vaccine. However it is unknown how long this will take. 

The vaccine may prevent shingles in half of those who receive it and ease the symptoms for the rest.

If you have a family member who has not received the vaccine and wishes to then please contact us on 02072244668 to make an appointment. The cost of the vaccine and administration is £200. 

February 2012 Newsletter

Meningococcal C vaccine in adolescents

The meningococcal C strain can cause life threatening meningitis at any age. It is particularly prevalent in the teenage years.

Your child will have received immunisation against this bacterium as a baby if he/she is less than seven years of age otherwise not. In any event this immunity wanes over 10 years so in America a follow up dose is recommended at 11 years of age. This is not given in the UK but I recommend it.

It was originally thought that this would provide immunity for at least another 10 years but recent research has shown  that this is not the case and in many protection wanes after about 5 years .

The recommendation in America is now that a second dose is given at least 2 months after the first.

I also recommend this for my patients.

This is important as the peak incidence of meningococcal disease is in the teenage years.

If your child is coming up to the teenage years then I recommend that he/ she should be given 2 doses of the conjugate meningococcal vaccinesepareted by 2 months.

 Two doses of the Human Papilloma Vaccine can be given at the same time.

I use the Gardesil preparation as this protects against 4 strains of the papilloma virus causing cervical carcinoma rather than Ceverix the vaccine used routinely in UK which protects only against two

At present it is only given to girls but I recommend giving it to boys as well as  they are generally the vectors.

Contact Kelly on 020 7224 668 to book an appointment or if you have any questions.