HPV Vaccination Sends Genital Wart Cases Plummeting: Study

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- In the five years since launching a nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program among girls between the ages of 12 and 26, Australia has seen a huge drop in the number of cases of genital warts, new research reveals.

Among Australian girls in the targeted age range for vaccination, the country saw genital wart cases plummet by 59 percent within just the first two years of the program's launch in 2007.

By aggressively vaccinating girls against HPV (which is responsible for 90 percent of genital wart diagnoses), Australia appears to have offered considerable protection not just to its female population but also its men as well.

How? Researchers point to a phenomenon known as "herd immunity," whereby the immunity acquired by a certain segment of the population -- in this case, women -- ends up protecting an unvaccinated segment of the population (men).

In the same timeframe Australia has seen a 39 percent drop in genital wart cases among heterosexual men as well.

"All indications are that the program has been an overwhelming success," noted study author Dr. Basil Donovan, who heads the sexual health program at the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales, in Sydney.

"But we won't be certain until HPV-related cancers [also] start dropping," he added, explaining that while genital warts tend to appear roughly three months following infection with HPV, "the incubation period from HPV infection to HPV-related cancer is typically at least 20 to 30 years."

HPV-associated cancers include cervical, penile, anal and throat cancers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Donovan and his colleagues published their findings in the April 18 issue of the BMJ.

To explore the impact of HPV immunization efforts in the Australian context, the authors analyzed data collected from eight different sexual health service organizations covering a period from 2004 to 2011.

Collectively, the organizations had seen nearly 86,000 first-time patients in that timeframe, of whom about 9 percent were diagnosed with genital warts.

By comparing the pre-vaccination period of 2004 to mid-2007 with the vaccination period of mid-2007 through the end of 2011, the team found a remarkable plunge in genital wart rates.

Among girls under the age of 21, that drop amounted to nearly 93 percent, while among those between 21 and 30 a decline of almost 73 percent was observed.

And while no appreciable genital wart rate drop-off took place among women or men over the age of 30, among men under 30 a notable dip was observed. Specifically, among heterosexual men below 21 the drop amounted to almost 82 percent, while among those between 21 and 30 genital wart rates fell by more than 51 percent.

But is the Australian experience translatable to other countries now engaged in various types of HPV vaccination programs?

Donovan said that how well other countries will fare in efforts to dampen genital wart rates will depend on the degree of public acceptance when it comes to HPV immunization efforts.

"There was little resistance to the HPV vaccine in Australia," he noted by way of explaining the program's success. By contrast, he suggested that the American public health effort -- which he characterized as "fractured" -- may very well produce less optimistic results, given the widespread controversy and reluctance to vaccinate that arose when the prospect of immunizing young girls was first proposed.

But in other countries, where the debate has been more muted, Donovan sees better prospects. "As the U.K. is achieving vaccine coverage rates at least as high as Australia," he said, "I would be certain that they will soon be reporting comparable drops in disease."

Commenting on the report, Dr. Jocylen Glassberg, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Scott and White Healthcare in Round Rock, Texas, said that "the take-home message is the vaccine is obviously working."

"It will take many more years to see the same decline in cervical cancer rates due to the naturally slow progression of that disease process," she said. "But the vaccine works. The fact that genital wart rates were virtually zero after such a short time in women and men, even in a program just aimed at vaccinated women, is a phenomenal result."

On that note, Glassberg pointed out that most vaccines do not offer similar levels of protection. "Flu vaccines keep 80 percent or so at bay," she explained. "This is almost 100 percent."

So, "aggressively educating the public should be key in the U.S.A. as well," she concluded. "And getting the vaccines covered in young women, and men, as a medical benefit could lead to a near eradication of genital warts here as well."

In the United States, the vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix are used to prevent HPV infection and are highly effective, according to the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Basil Donovan, M.D., professor and head, sexual health program, the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney; Jocylen Glassberg, M.D., Ob/Gyn, department of obstetrics and gynecology, Scott and White Healthcare, Round Rock, Texas; April 18, 2013, BMJ, online

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Stridebox Sends You Monthly Running Goodies

We've got a lot of runners on staff at SELF, from Running Virgins to Ironwomen. So it's no wonder we flipped when we heard about Stridebox, in a sign-me-up, why-didn't-I-think-of-this, where-have-you-been-all-my-life kinda way. I mean, what endurance athlete (or mere running slash gear enthusiast) wouldn't want cute lil' boxes of fitness-related goodies delivered to her door on the cheap? It's like getting a really loaded race-day goodie bag every month, without having to sign up for the race. Score.

Stridebox works similarly to the wildly successful beauty sample service Birchbox. (Sidenote: Have you seen our #NailArt Pinterest board we collaborated with 'em now?) Every month you're billed $15, and in return you get a curated box of individual-sized treats: In this case, it's sports nutrition gels and gummies, accessories like socks and wrist wallets, and coupons for bigger-ticket items, like shoes and apparel.

We love it for several reasons: One, it's always fun to test out new flavors and textures of running fuel, especially if you don't have to pay full price or commit to buying a whole pack. Two, it's already helped us discover some cool new products -- like Win laundry detergent (specially formulated for your technical workout gear) and Click espresso protein drink, both in Stridebox's March package, pictured above. Plus, it's like giving yourself a surprise present every month. And it's GOOD. FOR. YOU.

Stridebox just launched in February and it's picking up steam fast; its full-size April boxes are already sold out, but you can sign up now for May and still get a mini-box next month for $5. And you know what's going to be in that box? A kick in the pants. Because, really, you're not gonna eat those Gu's while just sitting on the couch ... are you?

Love Stridebox as much as we do? Let us know! Tweet us at @amandaemac and @SELFmagazine.

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Image Credit: Courtesy of Stridebox

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Little-Known Respiratory Infection Sends Many Kids to Hospital

Title: Little-Known Respiratory Infection Sends Many Kids to Hospital
Category: Health News
Created: 2/13/2013 6:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/14/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Little-Known Virus Sends Many Kids to Hospital

By Serena Gordon

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Chances are you've never heard of human metapneumovirus. But, it's quite possible that you've been sick with this respiratory germ at some point in your life.

Discovered only 12 years ago, human metapneumovirus (HMPV) shares many symptoms with the flu. And, like the flu, most people who get it are miserable for a short time and then get better with no complications.

But the virus can cause serious illness, and in a recent study in U.S. children, researchers found that 6 percent of children who were hospitalized had HPMV, while 7 percent of pediatric emergency room visits were due to the virus.

"It turns out that human metapneumovirus is one of the most common causes of acute respiratory infections," said study senior author Dr. John Williams, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn.

"Everyone knows about flu and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus], but it's just in the last couple of years that HPMV is making it into the medical school textbooks. For otherwise healthy children and adults, it tends to be a minor illness, like a cold, but populations that are vulnerable to one of these viruses are vulnerable to all of them," said Williams, who added that this generally includes the very young, the very old and people with underlying health problems, such as asthma or chronic heart disease.

"Now, that we've discovered this leading cause of respiratory infections in kids, it gives us a target for a vaccine," he noted.

The study was supported by a grant from the New Vaccine Surveillance Network of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was published in the Feb. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Human metapneumovirus was only discovered in 2001, though it was likely causing disease for many years before it was identified, according to background information in the study. And, although it's been a dozen years since the disease was discovered, it was still unclear how often people were infected, and how severe the illness could be.

To track down these answers, Williams and his Vanderbilt colleague Dr. Kathryn Edwards, along with other researchers, collected data on the virus from hospitals in three U.S. counties from 2003 through 2009.

They found the virus in 200 of 3,490 children (6 percent) hospitalized during that time period. Of 3,257 outpatient clinic visits, they found 7 percent of children had HPMV. And, of 3,001 children seen in emergency rooms, 7 percent had the virus. The researchers also tested 770 children who weren't having any symptoms, and found the virus in 1 percent.

Annually, one out of every 1,000 hospitalizations in children less than 5 years old was due to human metapneumovirus. In those less than 6 months of age, the rate of hospitalization due to HPMV was three per 1,000. In children aged 6 months to 1 year, that number was two per 1,000, according to the study.

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