do you know that if you have a daughter aged 13 or over they may not be eligable for the vaccine against cervical cancer

[Tortington]

please contact your local primary care trust and your GP

the information i have been given is that whilst girls can have the vaccine if they have been sexually active it is best if they have the vaccine before they become sexually active

the vaccine is 3 injections 2 within 2 months and the 3rd 6 months or more later.

this means that a little forward planning is required - ie. my daughter is currently 14 nearly 15 - by the time she gets the course of vaccinations she may be nearly 16. and whilst i dont want to think of my angel with some skanky shithead i am not naive and think that i best do it asap

it is pricey becuase the liklihood is that you may have to go private

£400 - £450

this isnt a cure against cervical cancer but it is highly effective apparently

i feel a bit rubbish about all the other mums and dads in my girls year - who have no idea - i wouldnt of had an idea if it wernt for mumsnet - maybe some lobbying of LEA's is required?

duno

am going to contact my LEA anyway

thanks

Thanks for that.

I wouldn't mind looking into this. Both mum and gran had cervical cancer, though both recovered fully etc. And I have been told that it has no element of heredity in it, but still, makes me think. And is always worrying when it's smear time, I would like my 12 year old dd to be free of that kind of worry.

.

hmmm

there has been adverse reactions to this in America iirc

will see if I can find a link

far better to stress the use of condoms imo

.

the LEA know nothing.

the pCT say that this is something that is supposed to be happening nationall THIS YEAR

but have no further information on.

WTF

how can wthere be anational role out sept this year with fuck all planning

"and one would assume they would give information to the parents of those girls not included" aye we know what ASS u ME gets you.

who is the minister for health?

Oh, it definitely doesn't replace safe sex, OO. I've made that very clear to my 13-year old, much to her embarassment!

She's had the first 2 injections with the last one due in March, I think.

As with anything, there are undoubtedly risks attached and I guess you don't know what the individual's reaction is going to be until they've had it, unfortunately. It's a question of weighing up the risks and deciding what's important to you.

Custy, I only found out about it through a GP friend who has a daughter the same age as mine. She was giving her DD the vaccination and recommended I do the same, so I did.

did you have to pay?

i wrote to the deparment of health

hi

please can you give m some more infomration about the roll out of the HPV vacination process ikn schools - ther was an announcement that this was going to take place from sept 08 - the announcement was in October 07.

1. one would hav thought that some thought would have gone into the processes involved and the finances before announcing it, as i have contacted my PCT who have little information other than what i have given you above.

I have contact my LEA - who didnt know this was happening at all - thats West Sussex LEA who are woefully inadequate with regards to information.

the information i have is this

girls aged 12 -13 ( first year of senior school) will be given the vaccine 08

the vaccine is 3 injections, 2 within 2months and the 3rd 6months or later - a total time of 8 -12 months ( at least)

although not essential - this vaccine works best on girls who haven't been sexually active.

there is a catch up programme for up to 18 year olds. starts 2009! ( misnoma)

2. is this only 18 year old in further education - what if they leave at 16?

3. NB this is the most important point to me. the catch up programme will be rolled out by the PCT - knowing that its best to vaccinate girls who are not yet sexually active its a damned good guess that they will start with younger girls. this means that at this moment there are 14 year old girls who will not get the vaccine

i'll explain why

14-15 year olds in the third year of senior school 07-08

will be 15-16 year olds not necessarily in school and maybe sexually active sept08/09

will be 17 /18 year olds by the time that you have "caught up" ith the NOW year 2 - 12/14 yr olds in senior school and the year one in senior school NOW 12/13 - and in 09 there will be a whole new year of students to start vaccinating

this means that my NOW 14 year old daughter will miss out on the vaccination.

So... knowing that the govt pot of money is not endless - i ask - which numbskull chose 18 years of age - knowing that its best to be non sexually active -the legal age of consent is 16 for goodness sake. it send confusing signals about a programme of delivery that is probably unachieveable

why is there not a point of contact now?

why announce it withouthaving a help line? without giving guidence to PCTs and LEAs ( well it actually looks like you might have to tell the LEAs to begin)

why is there no designated P.O.C.? today i have phoned my PCT, spoken with a nurse at my doctors surgery, left a message for my doctor, phoned the LEA, spoken again to the PCT and then in a moment of sheer frustration i have to complain to the GOVT!!!
most importantly of all - what information are you going to give to the parents of the other girls who are not eligable come this sept?

are you going to lie about the catch up programme?

are you going to tell me/them that the roll out is completely down to the PCT - and therefore not your responsability - becuase they have a local designated authority.

or are you gong to tell the truth.

along the lines of

"Girls who are now 14,15 & 16 now will be 15,16,17 in 2009. it is a 12 month process for the vaccination programme there fore wil not be eligable for the catch-up programme becuase we will be catching up wth girls who will be 12/13,14/15 . meanng that oly the rich can pay £400 to get guardasil or their daughters and the rest ......well they can eat cake?

dont spin

what info are you going to give?

thanks

mrs custy the great

Custy - I have a 14 year old dd too so am most interested in this. Do you have a number for your School Health Service? I'm going to call mine tomorrow. I need to ask questions about BCG too that they no longer get and Tetanus/Polio?dip that she missed recently so I'll add this to my list.

Yes, Custy - about £450 in total, I think.

yes contacted them - but they know nothing as the pct knew nothing as the lea knew nothing now considering it was fucking announced in october - you would think some fucker whould know something [cross]

My GP friend was saying that they didn't know much about it either, other than the fact that it was on its way. That's why she recommended paying for it, because she reckoned that by the time they'd actually let the PCTs and GPs know, the backlog for those girls currently at the recommended age would be huge. Tis indeed really cr@p.

Oh yes, Sag, the BCG is another one. Another GP was telling me about that recently, but apparently it is done later now.

BCG is only done for high risk groups now. Am just trying to get my head around the age groups for teh HPV vaccination - this missed cohort thing has happened before, was it for mumps or something? Anyway, there's some vacc that was missed by an entire age group and led to outbreaks amongst university students. Would hope this wouldn't be happenig with the HPV.

Sorry, misunderstood I think. is this about catch up taking too long and therefore girls only being offered the vacc when they are probably already sexually active? It will still work, but only if they haven't already caught HPV. It's the downside of offering something new and not having the cash/resources to get it to everyone immediately.

if you are 12/13 in 08 you will get it

13/14 in year 08 you will get vaccine in year 09 making you 14/15

if you are 14/15 in year 08 you will be probably not be vaccinated until year 2010 making you 17/18

the catch up is only until you are 18 and takes a minimum of 8 months - but i bet my arse they give the final injection in the school year after becuase they sure as hell arn't geared up to start this september. which means they will prob start - in reality 09 anyway.

however there will be new pupils starting the school in both 09 and 10

and i am supposed to believe they have the funding for these new pupils as well as starting more catch up in 2010 - when a lot will have been already sexually active, and it takes 8 months and it will not start until 09 i bet

.

The "highly effective apparently" is a bit dubious, from what I've read. Very little information or research on what long-term levels of protection are (i.e. once more than a couple of years after vaccination have passed) or on what levels of protection are against different strains. Still better than nothing, I guess.

You need to contact your school nurse - i'm a school nurse and i know we are starting to immunise next school year, i think starting with year 8.

I've just returned from mat leave this week so that's why i'm not fully conversant with the plan but it will be the school nurses administering it.

I will find out tomorrow and post again.

Just to correct an apparent misconception. The vaccine is to provide immunity against infection with strains of the human papillomavisrus that are responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancer cases (more than 75%). This virus can be spread by sexual contact and does not require penetrative sex and infection is NOT prevented by the use of condoms. Promoting safe sex is vital but so is this vaccination IMO.
HTH in yoiur decision making

I confess that I don't really know what to think about it. I'm not naive in thinking that my daughter will remain a virgin until long after my death, but I am wondering about whether or not I want extra injections being given iyswim.

All of my children have had the MMR etc... but this vaccine I need to research.

Anyone fancy doing that for me? Anyone....? Bueller..........?

Right must pick up DD2.

No BCG here Custy. Only given to some babies who are high risk Will post tomorrow on what School Health say re cervical cancer one.

I have been searching through MN for some background to the HPV vaccine. Dd in year 7 now and came home with a letter about it recently. So I expect she will be getting it in autumn 2008.

I am please if it works. I am concerned about a few other things.

Are there any later updated threads about this topic - I would be interested to see them?