This young women passed away on 22nd March mothers Day in England. A British young women who became a personality on the Big Brother series.. Not a exactly a likable personality but what shows as the young Briton of today.. Jade Goody died at the age of 27.. This young women was informed she had a terminal cancer on the Indian version of Big Brother..

Thanks to the pioneering works of Australian Professor Ian Frazer this vaccine is made available to all girls and young women world wide.

R.I.P jade Goody

Sorry forgot to mention jade Goody died from cervical cancer, the vacine is avalable here in Australia..

She doesn't reflect anything like the young Brit of today. How did you come to that conclusion?

I was born in lytham st annes in the North West of England . came to Australia in the year 1972 seen a lot dear though the years my so called fellow brits .. Seen the Poms that have come over to Australia winged complained only to go back.. Seen the British back packers on Bondi Beach getting so inebriated making a day on the beach so miserable for others.. Yes watched the British TV programs from a far .. Also longed for a by gone era a time when I was nine years old, playing in the sand hills at Blackpool or the windmill on Lytham beach.. Conclusion you ask Well all I can say Just an observation that has been made from living here and seeing how the young British llive while overseas..

My post was to a young women that passed away from cervical cancer.. at the age of 27.. I really did not have to explain to you on what conclusion I have made about the young Brit of today but I did. All I said was that she was not a likable person .. But having said all this she did make some amends in her last months of life.. Awareness of pap smears .. Vaccination for cervical cancer..

And may I add again the pioneering work of Professor Ian Frazer on this vaccine .


Have a good day Primrose

gizzie

Gizzie - I have to say, I don't really understand your posts or your conclusion either.

I was no particular fan of Jade Goody, but I am sorry for how she has died and I do think she was very brave towards the end. However, she had a very non-typical upbringing and as I understand it from the media stories i have read, spent many of her years in a childrens home away separated from her abusive, alcoholic, drug-taking parents. I do not think you can call her a typical example of a young Brit of today living home or away.

Well said squiggle!

I have three wonderful daughters between the ages of 24 and 32. They all have many lovely well brought up girlfriends and I do not consider Jade Goody to be a typical example of young British womanhood.

We could all draw conclusions from the loud Aussie girls that are inebriated on our British streets-I have seen quite a few. But I have never thought they were a true representation of all young Australian women.

Having said that-Jade WAS likeable. She was poorly educated and came from a terribly deprived background but she was sparky, funny, endearing and a fantastic mother .

The outpouring of warmth and affection would not have been so forthcoming if there wasn't something a bit special about her!

Such a very sad end to a young life.

janet c

Janet and Squigs - I agree

Before we get too carried away about this miracle vaccine I think that we should approach it with at least some caution. See the attached article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-...ng-stories.html

I also think that we should all have a deeper think about promiscuity issues in today's society. Rarely does an apparent solution come without risks. We menopausal women are well aware of that one!


XIII

Thats a very good article, Kathy.

There is no way in the world I would expose my daughter to this and I would urge any parent to think twice about giving this vaccine to their own children.


Thank you very much for posting.

I totally agree. We'd like to not have consequences to our actions, so we grasp at a promised cure, but often the cure brings risks of it's own.

There will ALWAYS be people who have adverse reactions to shots, and it is not even demonstrated or accepted that these young women's reactions had anything to do with the shots. This reminds me of the whole hysteria over the immunizations given to infants, which some people claim "cause" autism. (I wonder how those people who put up such an unfounded hew and cry would feel about living back in the days of 25 percent infant mortality).

But I digress. Back to gardisil.

The "promiscuity" argument that people make against gardisil is the one that absolutely infuriates me. Do you REALLY think that kids, who believe they are immortal, are going to be any more or less likely to have sex just because they have received this vaccine? PULEAZE -- think again. They do what they do, and they don't think about consequences. Most of them don't even use a condom even though they know about AIDS and STD's, not to mention pregnancy. I just think it's unconscionable to make this argument that a vaccine that can protect your children against CANCER should be withheld because it could make them more "promiscuous." First of all, as noted above, the argument is hogwash. But secondly, the implication that premarital sex is worse than cancer is ludicrous. Are you saying that it is less important to protect your daughters from cancer than it is to protect them against a little fun on a Saturday night? Really? Seriously? Did I mention the disease in question is ... um ... cancer?

Gardisil does not protect against all forms of HPV, but it is a step in the right direction, and I would think you would want to extend that gift of a healthier life to your daughters. The claim that it causes the level of side effects mentioned in that sensationalistic newspaper article is undocumented and not accepted in the medical community. The notion that girls who have sex should be "punished" by being put at greater risk than necessary for cancer is just beyond horrific -- and be aware, those of you who make the "promiscuity" argument, that this is exactly what you are implying. Shame on you. And by the way ... did I mention ... it is cancer we are talking about here?

If I have offended anyone with this post, then good. You deserve it -- because, it is cancer we are talking about here, and the young girls in question don't even have the human right to make the decision for themselves.

Whew!, Wits - You're in a feisty mood today I will look forward to our little debate in private on MSN At the moment I have tooth pain

Talk to you soon

GO, Wits, GO!!!

I am inclined to agree with you. I mean seriously, if kids listened, there would be no STD problem, or unwanted pregnancy, or AIDS epidemic, or drinking & driving, or classes failed in school..... the list goes on and on.

Excuse me? I was not attacking anyone, just stating an opinion, and I do not feel anyone, even you, 'deserves' to be offended. I think you can safely share your opinion sans the animosity.

I have a 19 year old daughter and I had to fight with my doctor when my daughter went in for her pre-college physical about the vaccine. I personally am not confortable with this new vaccine and said NO to it. For me it's too new and I have heard of the side effects. Was it the right decision?? I'm not sure but it's what I was comfortable with. I have a nephew in his 3rd year of medical school and he also thinks it's too new and we really don't know the long term results or effects of it yet. I do pray I made the right decision!!

My concern is that the idea of this vaccine may give young women a false sense of security. The pharma ads say it's only for CERTAIN cervical cancers. This means women still need to take measures to protect themselves.

I think the best preventative is EDUCATION and TALKING HONESTLY WITH YOUR KIDS.

i have to say here that i agree with virginia. this drug is too new so who knows what the long term side effects might be.

My thoughts on the whole Jade Goody thing are - I feel awful she left 2 young boys behind and she was brave..
however do they not do annual pap tests over there? I mean she had a baby 4 years ago and in that time she developed cervical cancer so invasive?!? I mean I thought it was a slow growing cancer.. but I dont know all the details. I just know I am due for the dreaded pap in 2 weeks.. ugg..

~L

Hi - we generally get pap tests every 3 years here, but more often if a problem has been noticed. In Jade's case (according to the press) she was called back after getting positive results but was too scared to go & have treatment so ignored them. Some sources I read said she ignored them several times, hoping the problem would go away.

I found this...............

London, Aug 26 (IANS) British reality show star Jade Goody has revealed that she ignored a letter stating that she needed to have abnormal cells removed from her cervix because she was too scared to go back to hospital.Goody, who is now fighting advanced cervical cancer, had already had three abnormal smear tests after enduring an operation to remove the cells, reports dailymail.co.uk.

After her fourth abnormal smear, she ignored a letter urging her to return to hospital, instead hoping the disease would go away on its own.

"When I heard I had more abnormal cells, I thought this is the fourth time I have been told I need to have the same operation now," she told Heat Magazine.

"Once you have them burnt off they should not come back, but I was too scared," she added.

It was after she collapsed from blood loss Aug 5, for the fourth time in four years, that she realised she couldn't ignore her condition.

"The doctors were doing tests for my blood loss but they seemed unclear about what it could be. It was then that I was told I must have another operation on the dodgy cells on my cervix. They had sent a letter to me ages ago, telling that I needed to go in for an operation, but I had been too scared to do anything about it," Goody confessed.

Goody first had an abnormal smear test when she was 16-years-old.

"Even before I was sexually active, I had to have pre-cancerous cells removed. That nearly traumatised me for life, it was so painful," she contended.




If this is correct, Jade did well to remain healthy for so long, considering that abnormal cells were first detected 11 years ago.


XIII

by "more often" I mean that we would have them more frequently than that, if deemed advisable for that person after a suspicious result.

As a result of Jade, they are also trying to lower the age for testing here - I think it might currently be around 25?

It is not normal procedure to test a 16 year old here - I wonder why they did that?

I too have struggled whether my daughter should get the cervical cancer vaccine; she is 15. On her last physical, I did not sign the paper allowing her to get the vaccine and she asked me why not when some of her friends have already been given the vaccine. I have researched this vaccine thoroughly and asked the opinion of several doctors, including my naturopath and these are some of the things I have learned:

1. Only protect against some HPVs but not all.

2. Adverse/side effects have been documented.

3. New vaccine and long term side effects not really known.

4. Cervical cancer is slow growing and very treatable.

5. Cervical cancer statisitically has not increased in the past few years even without the vaccine.

I told my daughter that when she turns 18 and has done her research and still feels strongly about getting the vaccine, then she can do so but until such time as I am in charge of her health, this is where I stand on the issue.

Please note that this is only my opinion and for those of you who think otherwise that is fine too.

All the best,
Plumeria

There was a rule here that any girl who was sexually active from a young age was offered a smear test .

I am not sure whether this is still the case because all girls in UK now have the HPV immunisation at school.

There is a section of young women of about the age of 24/25 who missed out on the immunisation about the same time the age to start smear tests was postponed to 25 in England. (Women in Scotland and Wales still get their first smears from 20.)
My two older daughters who are now 32 and 29 both were offered smear tests at age 20.
However my youngest daughter who is 24 has never had one despite being in a relationship since age 22.
She has been very upset about the Jade thing because she has fallen through the net-and has to have her first test this year.
As you probably know there is a campaign in England following Jade's cancer to reduce the age back to 20.

janet c

Hi Janet

I wasn't aware of that rule, that's interesting - I thought it was always aged 25 that pap smears start (I'm 44 and it was that age I was first offered one - they were 5 years apart back then but now as you say, they are trying to make it earlier. I thought the new HPV vaccination only started last year - so it is interesting you say it has been around for a few years. I have a son of 14, many girls at his school are opting to not having it done.

No- smear tests used to start from age 20 once a woman was sexually active. I was married at 19 and had my first smear at 20.
The age was moved up to 25 in 2003 so some young women have fallen through the net.
You are right, the HPV vaccine did only start last year for girls age 12/13 but there is a catch up program for any girl aged 14-18 which will go ahead next year. I got confused about that.

janet c

They are offering this vaccine to boys as well.

Are they? Where did you hear about this?

I have read that there is no benefit.

quote from Need 2 know Health-

"As boys do not suffer from cervical cancer, the benefits of HPV vaccination are less for boys than for girls. Also, the vaccination of girls will reduce the transmission of infections to boy"

As far as I am aware it is only being offered routinely to girls, but perhaps boys can ask for it? Interesting.

janet c

I will look up the source for you later, if that's okay. My dear daughter wants to use the laptop now

It is my understanding that HPV is a sexually transmitted disease and found in the spermatozoa of the male.

I'm no expert on this, but as far as I know, hpv is a virus that causes warts. Most of the strains are harmless and cause regular warts or plantar warts, but other strains cause the genital warts and skin lesions in moist areas that could lead to cervical cancer. Males and females both can have these viruses in their systems, but apparently the most devastating consequences happen to women (just like everything else!). I suppose the idea of vaccinating boys would be premised on the idea that it would be good to reduce the amount of cancer-producing hpv floating around in the general population, given that the virus is exchanged through bodily fluids.

I was surprised to hear that pap smears are not given in the UK until age 25! It's so sad that it took the death of a celeb to get people talking about this issue. I saw from earlier posts that she had apparently been ignoring warnings about pap results and avoiding the doctors' offices, but what about the girls who end up with a full blown case before they are ever even given a pap smear? The incidence of cervical cancer has declined in the developed world only because of the regular use of pap tests; it's out of control in the third world where for the most part they can neither afford regular pap tests nor vaccines. I suppose the only good that can come out of the death of this young woman is continued publicity on this issue, and hopefully more attention to the millions of women in disadvantaged countries who are receiving no preventive measures whatsoever.

Hey Janet -- just read that quote you pasted above, and ... how typical, eh? Boys shouldn't be vaccinated because they are not at risk for cancer, even though they are transmitters of it? lol Of course the quote goes so far as to imply that it's mostly girls who are the transmitters!!!!!!! The author seems to want it both ways. Girls are the primary sufferers, and so only they should be vaccinated; and girls are the primary transmitters, so they are the only ones who should be vaccinated. Something does not computer there. lol The author wants girls to shoulder the whole burden, even though reducing the number of boys who harbor the virus would clearly cut down on the number of women exposed to it. Imagine my surprise.

witsend
Just to go off topic for a moment-I was not notified of your last two posts by e-mail. I found them whilst looking through the "view new posts" list.
I hope there isn't a glitch in the system

I see what you are saying and in principle I agree with you.
However the problem as always is money. The NHS has worked out the most cost effective way of getting the best results and reducing deaths which are after all of women and not men! I am sure the decision is in no way sexist-just pragmatic.
Don't forget that here in UK all vaccinations are done at no cost to the recipients and the government does not have money to burn.
Anyone who wishes to have the vaccine who falls outside the guidelines could,I am sure pay to have it done privately.

I think it is good that the government are addressing the issue in such a positive way although there are far too many young children who are having sex who should still be playing with toys. The government are obviously failing to address this matter effectively but that is a different subject!

janet c

Hi Janet: I wasn't talking about the NHS in particular, but just attitudes in general. I guess your quote was from a British source, but I was just wondering how many men or boys (or boys' parents) would see it as important for them to get a vaccine that would help keep the whole population healthy, given that males are not in the line of fire for cervical cancer. I just did a quick google and found this article in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/fashion/24virus.html -- hope it's ok to post the link. I do think it's sexist to emphasize the notion that girls transmit HPV to boys and to underplay the reverse process of boys infecting girls. If vaccinating members of one gender would reduce rates of transmission, then vaccinating the other gender is going to reduce it even more.

I also noticed when I was searching that there is a new DNA test for HPV that might replace the pap. It is cheaper and only has to be done once every five years! Apparently a lot of gyns are hesitant to use it because they they see the pap as a way of getting us in for our checkups every year. lol

I think Witsend has a really good point, that is perhaps being missed here. Any vaccine that can protect our daughters is a good thing. There was a time when cervical cancer KILLED a great many women. And before vaccines huge numbers of children and adults died from diptheria, tetnus, small pox, polio, measles, rubella and possibly others I can't remember.

I did have to be treated for abnormal cells, and it was VERY unpleasant. I was very scared before, but did get thru it. For 6 months afterwards I had the most painful periods of my LIFE, with cramps that went all the way down to my knees. If my daughters could avoid that by getting a little needle, I would definitely recommend it. I am fortunate that mine was caught and treated in time, but it was not a fun time. I think to say that cervical cancer is treatable if detected early is not very forward thinking. I mean according to this thread, Jade didn't followup because she had the treatment and couldn't face having to go thru it again!

Avoidance of possibly cervical cancer IS a better choice. In my opinion. Oh and one of my daughters has had abnormal cells, had to have a biopsy, and had to have a pap every three months for the next year. I wish she could have just had a vaccine.....

Here Here ...
gizzie

No you obviously don't get it.. I said showed what is young Briton of today ok beg pardon probally should have added a certain Briton, the British population voted for this person on the Big Brother Now you think about that one.. My niece is actually staying with me for a few weeks. Katie is from Nottingham 23 years of age gorgeous intelligent, gob smacked when she told me she has never had a pap smear as yet. Katie had been living with her partner of three years in the UK.. I know a lot of women responded to the post in a negative way. "So be it " we have views and opinions someone will always come up with a negative medical report with all the facts and figures. I learned today a work colleague of mine has just been diagnosed with cervical cancer 32 years of age two Young daughters 5 and 3 .. She has had regular pap smear every eighteen months since the age of nineteen.

So on that note if I offended my fellow ex pats I did not intend to do so I wanted to make a point about a dreadful decease which effects us all in some way.. My brother Marty has been battling bowel cancer for the past eighteen months so it will be a rough and rocky road that's lies ahead.. But we will get there..

gizzie..

Hi gizzie,

I don't mean to nit pick and I fully support the rest of your post, but feel I have to comment about the above. The British population didn't vote for Jade on Big Brother. The population of the UK numbers around 70 million people. The viewing figures for BB3 in which Jade appeared averaged 5.8 million, which seems to be the peak viewing figures across all BB UK series. After that the viewing figures fell year by year. Of those however, only a small proportion actually bother to vote. The number of votes made doesn't equal the number of people making them, as die-hard fans will often vote repeatedly. I don't think it can be claimed therefore that Big Brother viewers (and certainly not voters) are representative of the British population as a whole.

Secondly, Jade didn't win BB3, she was voted third or fourth if I remember. Her subsequent success was due to her being adopted by a successful PR agent who saw that there might be a market for her. A market is simply a niche - not nationwide appeal. She appeared frequently in the celeb gossip magazines which are sold in supermarkets and appeared on the odd TV show which appealed to the same demographic. She was a controversial figure, as many people seemed not to be able to stand her public persona as seemed to like her - however such controversy is good for stimulating interest in a target market and getting those who follow 'celeb' marriages and bust-ups to buy the publications in which she appeared.

She doesn't show what is young Briton today. You presumably have a sector of the population in Australia who similarly follow the antics of Z list 'celebs' in tabloid newspapers and supermarket gossip magazines? All english speaking western countries seem to have such a market.

Hey hand's up here "what is earth" now lets get over this Jade Goody thing and not nit pick, I do not follow what are you saying Z list "celebs now let this subject rest now lets be grown up about this and put some closure on this .. YOU DID NOT READ POST I SAID BEG PARDEN ON CERTAIN BRITON she was voted on the BIg Broother I did not say she won it.. now pls get other this topic .. I need to get through the news today my work colleague has cancer and you dear are showing me satistics. I hope this site is not showing me elements of bullying, when I thought I came across such a wonderful site..


Enough now ... Have a Happy Easter to all

gizzie