Young Girls More Likely to Report Side Effects After HPV Vaccine
Younger girls are more likely than adult women to report side effects after receiving Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccine. The side effects are non-serious and similar to those associated with other vaccines, according to a new study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published in the Journal of Women’s Health.
As part of an ongoing study and evaluation of this relatively new vaccine, researchers surveyed 899 girls and young women (ages 11-26) within two weeks after they received the Gardasil vaccine injection in the upper arm. The survey, which took place in 2008, also found that while most girls and young women did know that the vaccine can prevent cervical cancer, and that three doses are recommended, many didn’t know that the vaccine can also prevent genital warts and abnormal pap smears.
“Gardasil is an important cancer-prevention vaccine, but too few girls are getting it. Our study found that young firls do have some knowledge about the vaccine, but they need to know more. If these girls and their parents know what to expect, they will likely be less afraid of getting the vaccine,” said study lead author Allison Naleway, PhD, a senior investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregan.
Since 2006, the CDC has recommended Gardasil for girls ages 11-12, and for older girls and women (ages 13-26) who did not receive the vaccine when they were younger. The CDC also recently recommended Gardasil for boys ages 11-12 , and for older boys and men (Ages 13-21) who did not receive the vaccine when they were younger.
Information about side effects has been reported by the manufacturer, the CDC, and by the federal government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, but this study is one of the first to survey firls themselves shortly after they received the vaccine. Many other studies have relied on information information reported by health care providers and parents.
For this study, researchers used electronic health records to identify 3,490 Oregon and Washington girls and young women (ages 11-26) who received their first dose of HPV vaccine between February and September of 2008. Within a week of vaccination, researchers sent out surveys to young women ages 18-26. For girls under 18, researchers notified parents that their daughters would be receiving the surveys the following week, and gave the parents a choice to opt out. The survey included 50 questions about vaccine side effects, the girls’ knowledge of the vaccine and the HPV virus, and about what kind of information their doctors shared with them before vaccine administration.
Of the 899 girls and women who responded to the survey, 78 percent reported pain when receiving the vaccine. Seventeen percent repported bruising or discoloration, 14 percent said they had swelling at the injection site, 15 percent reported dizziness, and 1 percent of the girls reported fainting.
Younger girls were more likely to have received other vaccines such as tetanus, meningitis and hepatitis A at the same time they received the HPV vaccine, and they were also more likely to report side effects. For example, 84 percent of girls aged 11-12 reported pain with the injection vs. 74 percent of women aged 18-26. Nineteen percent of girls aged 11-12 reported feeling dizzy after receiving the vaccine, but fewer than half that many (8 percent) of women aged 18-26 reported dizziness.
“These side effects are non-serious and very manageable,” Mike Wilmington, MD, a Kaiser Permanente pediatrician in Vancouver, Washington, who was not involved in the study. “The main complaint I hear about is pain with the injections, but there are ways to lessen the pain. Some girls will feel dizzy after this and other vaccines, so I follow CDC guidelines and have them sit or lie down for a few minutes after receiving the vaccine.”
Eighty-four percent of girls and young women said they knew that the HPV virus can cause cervical cancer, but only half reported knowing that it can also cause genital warts and abnormal pap smears. Most respondants said their providers told them they needed three doses of the vaccine, and most also said their providers talked with them about the vaccine’s benefits, possible side effects, and about HPV infection. Most girls, however, said their providers did not discuss genital warts or abnormal pap smears, and only one-fifth of girls said their provider asked them to sit and rest after receiving the vaccination.
Study authors include Allison Naleway, PhD, Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH, Lois Drew, Karen Riedlinger, MPH and Michelle Henniger, PhD– all from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, and Julienne Gee, MPH, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
This study is part of Kaiser Permanente’s ongoing research to understand the safety and efficacy of Gardasil. A study of 189,629 girls, teenage girls and young women, published earlier this year in the Journal of Internal Medicine, found that Gardasil does not trigger autoimmune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes or multiple sclerosis after vaccination in women.
From:
Kentucky Cervical Cancer Coalition
Campaign Aims to Reduce Accidental Poisonings of Children from Medications
“About 165 kids—or roughly four school busloads of children—are seen in emergency rooms for medication-related treatment every day in the U.S.,” Kate Carr, President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, which is spearheading the campaign, said in a news release. “Every one of those trips was preventable. We can and must do better.”
The initiative is being launched in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of poison control centers and National Poisoning Prevention Week, according to CNN.
A report released Tuesday by Safe Kids finds that while overall poisoning deaths among children fell by half from 1979 to 2006, the percentage of those deaths caused by medications nearly doubled—from 36 percent to 64 percent.
The group points to several causes for this increase, including medications that are more readily available and improperly stored in homes. The rising number of households with multiple generations increases children’s access to medications, according to the report.
When pills are available and children are unsupervised, the result can be deadly, the group says. The report notes that among children who are rushed to the emergency room due to accidental medication overdoses, 95 percent swallowed the products while they were not supervised.
The campaign advises parents and caregivers to always put away medicines and vitamins after each use, and not to be tempted to keep them handy in a purse, briefcase, backpack or unlocked cabinet or drawer that is within a child’s reach. “Make sure that all medications in the child’s environment are stored out of reach and out of sight,” Safe Kids notes.
Tassimo Espresso T Discs Recalled by Kraft Foods Due to Burn Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Tassimo espresso T Discs
Units: About 2.1 million packages in the United States and an additional 1.9 million in Canada
Manufacturer: Kraft Foods Global Inc., of Northfield, Ill.
Hazard: The recalled espresso T Discs can become clogged and spray hot liquid and coffee grounds onto consumers and bystanders during or after brewing, posing a burn hazard.
Incidents/Injuries: There have been 21 reports of incidents of hot liquid and/or coffee grounds spraying onto consumers and bystanders, including four reports of second-degree burn injuries. One injury involved 2-year-old girl from Canada who received second-degree burns to her face.
Description: This recall involves Gevalia, Maxwell House and Nabob brand espresso T Discs. The T Discs are plastic discs filled with coffee that are inserted into Tassimo coffee makers to brew single cups of hot espresso drinks. They were sold in packages of eight or 16 espresso T Discs. T Discs with codes ending with 11213 through 12020 are included in this recall. The code is printed on the T Disc’s foil lid and on the side of the package.
Recalled T Discs Gevalia Maxwell House Nabob Codes ending with Espresso EspressoEspresso11213 through 12020 Espresso Decaffeinated Café Collection Cappuccino Cappuccino Cappuccino Café Collection Crème Cappuccino Decaf Cappuccino Cappuccino Decaffeinated Café Collection Skinny Cappuccino Latte Skinny Cappuccino Café Collection Latte Skinny Latte Latte Café Collection Crème Latte Caramel Latte Macchiato Café Collection Caramel Latte Macchiato Mocha Peppermint MochaNo other T Discs are included in this recall.
Sold by: Department, mass merchandise, home improvement and other stores nationwide and on various websites, including www.tassimodirect.com, from August 2011 through February 2012 for between $8 and $11 per package.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled espresso T Discs immediately and contact the firm for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, visit www.tassimodirect.com/safetyrecall or call the firm toll-free at (866) 918-8763 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET Saturday.
Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=1541
Kentucky Governor Supports Bills to Curb Prescription Drug Abuse
Governor Beshear was accompanied by Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, legislators from both parties, and medical and law enforcement officials, according to The Courier-Journal. “In a nutshell, prescription drug abuse is wasting away the future of the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” the governor said.
One bill under consideration by the Kentucky House would require doctors who prescribe narcotic painkillers to use the state’s prescription drug monitoring system. It also would require pain clinics be owned by licensed practitioners, and would bar those whose licenses have been suspended or surrendered in other states from receiving a Kentucky license.
A bill being considered by the state Senate would require that all pain clinics be licensed, specify requirements for ownership and employment, and oblige Kentucky’s licensure board to develop regulations for pain clinics.
Prescription drug abuse kills almost 1,000 state residents a year, the article notes.
Less than one-third of prescribers had accounts for the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system, or KASPER, in 2010, according to the newspaper.
The pipeline of prescription painkillers from Florida to Kentucky has started to close off, the attorneys general of both states announced last month. They attributed the slowdown in illegal pill trafficking to new rules and programs in Florida, coupled with increased enforcement in both states.
Common Questions About Lactose Sensitivity
What is lactose sensitivity?
People who are lactose sensitive have a hard time digesting the sugar (called lactose) that is naturally found in milk and may experience discomfort after consuming dairy foods.
How do I know if I’m lactose sensitive?
Stomach aches, bloating or gassiness can have many different causes. Your doctor can help you find out if you are latose sensitive if your digestive discomfort is caused by something else.
I used to drink milk all the time when I was a child. Why am I more sensitive to dairy now?
Your body makes an enzyme called latase to help digest the lactose in milk. As an adult, your body may be making less of this enzyme than when you were younger. This may make it more difficult to tolerate diary.
If I am lactose sensitive, do I avoid all dairy foods?
Lactose sensitivity is a very individual condition. Most people can continue to enjoy low-fat dairy foods by drinking low-lactose or latose-free milk, having small amounts of milk with meals or including naturaly cheeses or yogurt in their diet.
Is lactose sensitivity the same thing as a milk allergy?
No, being lactose sensitive is not the same as having a milk allergy. A milk allergy is caused by a reaction to the protein in milk. This is different from lactose intolerance, which occurs when your body has a hard time digesting the natural sugar (or carbohydrate) in milk. While people with milk allergies must avoid dairy, avoidance is not necessary for those who are lactose sensitivity.
Can I get the nutrients I need without dairy foods in my diet?
Nutrition experts advise that you still try to eat dairy foods to best meet your nutrient recommendations. The dairy food (milk, cheese and yogurt) provides key nutrients such as calcium, potassium and vitamin D. It’s difficult to get enough of these nutrients without dairy foods in your diet.
Can children be lactose sensitive?
Lactose sensitivity is less common in young children. If you think your child is lactose sensitive, talk to your family doctor, pediatrician, or a dietitian.
Fast facts about lactose-free milk and milk products
Lactose-free milk is real milk, just without the lactose, and is a solution to help you get all the great nutrients found in regular milk.
How they’re made: Lactose-free dairy products are the same as regular dairy products except the lactose lactose (milk sugar) is already broken down or removed for you.
Great tasting: People like the taste of lactose-free milk more than some of the available non-dairy alternatives, according to a study in the Journal of Sensory Studies.
Available Options: A wide variety of lactose-free dairy products- including reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free, and choolate milk, ice cream and cottage cheese are available.