What do ya think? Should Somali parents opt their kids out of it?
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B.C. may vaccinate schoolgirls for HPV this fall
Girls in B.C. elementary schools could receive a controversial vaccine aimed at fighting human papilloma virus (HPV) as soon as the coming school year.
A Health Canada advisory committee has yet to table its report on how best to implement a national immunization program. But Nova Scotia and Ontario have already decided to go ahead this fall with programs to vaccinate girls in Grades 6 and 7.
The vaccine, which protects against some strains of HPV, has been approved for use in Canada for girls as young as nine. The vaccine has been widely welcomed by public health officials in Canada, but remains controversial.
In the Canadian Medical Association Journal last week, epidemiologist Dr. Abby Lippman warned against rushing into immunization of young girls.
HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts and, in rare cases, lead to cervical cancer. Lippman's concern is that the vaccine could give girls and women a false message that they don't have to practise safe sex or continue to have pap smears.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columb ... cines.html
