(no subject)

Been following the development of the cervical cancer vaccine for a few years, it's gotten a bit of news coverage out here because it's based on Dr Ian Frazer's 1991 discovery of a way to create artificial HPV in the test tube, minus any infectious material. He and his team were based at the University of Queensland.

Some articles here, here, here, and here.

And I'm going to slap the next "conservative" who starts carrying on that it will increase teenage sex. Do they really think teenagers think now, "oh, I might get cervical cancer, therefore I won't have sex"? A lot of them don't even think about pregnancy and AIDS. So a vaccine isn't going to change behaviour.

If someone made that argument to me, I'd say to their face, "so you'd prefer to give your daughter a possible death sentence?" Because even on their argument, even if she only ever slept with her husband after marriage, she could still end up with cervical cancer.

Here in Oz, all teenage girls are vaccinated against rubella in high schools (well they used to be at least, I think it was funded by the education department). They don't then think, "Oh, now if I get pregnant, rubella won't affect my baby, so I can go and have sex NOW!"

My mother has already said to both my sister and I that we go and have the vaccine as soon as it's available.

And I hope Ian Frazer will be our next Nobel Prize winner.

(no subject)

Been following the development of the cervical cancer vaccine for a few years, it's gotten a bit of news coverage out here because it's based on Dr Ian Frazer's 1991 discovery of a way to create artificial HPV in the test tube, minus any infectious material. He and his team were based at the University of Queensland.

Some articles here, here, here, and here.

And I'm going to slap the next "conservative" who starts carrying on that it will increase teenage sex. Do they really think teenagers think now, "oh, I might get cervical cancer, therefore I won't have sex"? A lot of them don't even think about pregnancy and AIDS. So a vaccine isn't going to change behaviour.

If someone made that argument to me, I'd say to their face, "so you'd prefer to give your daughter a possible death sentence?" Because even on their argument, even if she only ever slept with her husband after marriage, she could still end up with cervical cancer.

Here in Oz, all teenage girls are vaccinated against rubella in high schools (well they used to be at least, I think it was funded by the education department). They don't then think, "Oh, now if I get pregnant, rubella won't affect my baby, so I can go and have sex NOW!"

My mother has already said to both my sister and I that we go and have the vaccine as soon as it's available.

And I hope Ian Frazer will be our next Nobel Prize winner.

(no subject)

So many on my flist adore Farscape...I watched some, but with Nein's buggering around I gave up...and now Ezydvd (at least) will be selling the 4 seasons together for $200...and I don't know whether to take the plunge...

And season 3 of Wire in the Blood has had a distribution delay according to Ezy (was supposed to be out Wednesday). No mention of it on the ABC Shop website.

And Xena will be out cheap next week. $30 per half season. I need seasons 1, 2 and 6 (I paid $90 recently for season 3 :().

(no subject)

So many on my flist adore Farscape...I watched some, but with Nein's buggering around I gave up...and now Ezydvd (at least) will be selling the 4 seasons together for $200...and I don't know whether to take the plunge...

And season 3 of Wire in the Blood has had a distribution delay according to Ezy (was supposed to be out Wednesday). No mention of it on the ABC Shop website.

And Xena will be out cheap next week. $30 per half season. I need seasons 1, 2 and 6 (I paid $90 recently for season 3 :().