Grade 5 - STD Injections

[moonpie]

My grand-daughter age 11 just entered middle school (grade 5) and she was sent home with a slip to have her parents sign. It was an authorization for STD (sexually transmitted disease) serum. I thought this was rather strange, but I guess with kids growing up so fast, that the school's and Health Care Programs are being preventative. Times have sure changed since I was in grade 5.

[Bryn Mawr]

Originally Posted by moonpie

My grand-daughter age 11 just entered middle school (grade 5) and she was sent home with a slip to have her parents sign. It was an authorization for STD (sexually transmitted disease) serum. I thought this was rather strange, but I guess with kids growing up so fast, that the school's and Health Care Programs are being preventative. Times have sure changed since I was in grade 5.

Is there a serum against STDs - certainly wasn't last time I looked.

[moonpie]

It was an injection to stave off std's. Sorry, thats all I heard.

[Bryn Mawr]

Originally Posted by moonpie

It was an injection to stave off std's. Sorry, thats all I heard.

Whilst you can inoculate against some STDs there is no one serum that will protect against all STDs and there is no serum at all against some STDs.

[AussiePam]

Here's a starting point

HPV vaccine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[moonpie]

My main point in this post was that sex is apparently running rampant among very young children now. I was aware of this, but this sure seems to be a little too close to home now. Thats all.

[AussiePam]

Originally Posted by moonpie

My main point in this post was that sex is apparently running rampant among very young children now. I was aware of this, but this sure seems to be a little too close to home now. Thats all.

I take your point. My youngest daughter was vaccinated when she returned to Australia (the program hadn't been introduced when she left. She was 25)

Here's the official Australian line

How does GARDASIL work?
GARDASIL is administered as a series of three injections over a period of seven months. To ensure that some girls do not miss out, an immunisation program needs to run over a whole school year.

All medicines and vaccines considered for funding by the Australian Government must first be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in Australia. This guarantees they are safe and clinically effective, but it does not assess their cost-effectiveness. The TGA approved GARDASIL on 16 June 2006 for females aged 9 to 26 years and males aged 9 to 15 years.

The Government subsidises many vaccines – is it going to subsidise GARDASIL?
Yes. The Government has agreed with the recommendation of its expert advisory committee, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), that GARDASIL should be funded under the National Immunisation Program, commencing in the 2007 school year, for three cohorts:

* An ongoing target group of 12 and 13 year old girls in a school-based program, generally delivered in the first year of high school
* A catch-up group of 13-18 year old girls in a largely school-based program
* A further catch-up group of women up to and including 26 years of age in a community-based program generally delivered through general practice.

Why is the vaccine not available to women older than 26 years?
GARDASIL is not registered for use in women older than 26 years as there is no evidence to support its efficacy or safety in these women. For these women, the best way to avoid cervical cancer is to participate in cervical screening through regular Pap smears.


Department of Health and Ageing - Australian Government Funding Of Gardasil®

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I have only been looking for the facts here. If the vaccination isn't compulsory, I guess it's up to you whether you want to give your daughter this protection against cervical cancer, or not, at this stage.

I agree that kids seem to be becoming sexualised younger and younger. There was a photo in the paper yesterday of Tom Cruise's daughter Suri tottering along with her mother, in high heels. I've seen ten year olds at the bus stop - with eyelashes two inches long.. and pout to match. Sad really.

[moonpie]

Thanks Pam, this was very informative. My husband's son told me about this the other day, but if he is anything like his father, he does not delve into details, like women do ....

This makes sense, because I have been reading about testings for cervical cancers, for young people.

Thanks again.

[Bryn Mawr]

Originally Posted by AussiePam

Here's a starting point

HPV vaccine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks - I can see why you'd want to inoculate against that one.

[CARLA]

Target for the age group of 9 to 25 years of age. My granddaughter was just vaccinated she is 11. All the women in my family under the age of 25 have been vaccinated.