Post by ppyenews on Nov 10, 2006 6:10:11 GMT -5
Welcome to 'Talkback Topic' - I'm Phillip Pye
Every day, over 40 Australian women undergo surgery to remove pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions from the cervix. If you didn’t already know, Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, or womb, and is situated at the top of the vagina. Cervical cancer develops when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix begin to multiply out of control and form pre-cancerous lesions. If undetected, these lesions can develop into tumours and spread into the surrounding tissue.
Each year in Australia more than 800 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and over 200 women die from this disease. Globally cervical cancer is the second most common women’s cancer, which is why many countries, including Australia have implemented regular ‘pap test’ screening programs to detect cervical abnormalities. Invasive cervical cancer used to be more common in Australia but now, because of the National Cervical Screening Program, which takes the form of 2-yearly Papanicolou smears (or ‘Pap tests’) for women, the incidence of invasive cervical cancer has fallen dramatically in the last decade.
A disturbing fact is that Cervical Cancer does not discriminate. In that I mean it can affect all walks of life. It occurs mainly in women over 35 years of age and is uncommon in women under 25 although cases of younger women have been recorded. The good news is that a vaccine named “Gardasil” has been developed, right here in Australia by ‘Australian of the Year’ Professor Ian Frazer. Prime Minister ‘John Howard’, and Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott have declared that the new cervical cancer vaccine will be subsidised. The drug will end up being on the PBS [Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme] list, it's a question of precisely when, and apparently a question of price at this point.
There has certainly been plenty of noise from Female Politicians around Australia pushing for a vaccination program. Acting Queensland Premier ‘Anna Bligh’ says there are medical and economic reasons to subsidise a new cervical cancer vaccine. Ms Bligh admits it would cost $13 million a year to vaccinate 30,000 year eight Queensland girls but says that is cheaper than treating the effects of the disease because the drug has the capacity to keep young women of the next generation free from a very serious life threatening disease and in turn, in preventing the disease, money in the health system is saved making it ‘false economy’ for the committee to argue that it is an expensive exercise. Ms Bligh says the logic is wrong in not funding the vaccine.
Mr Howard now says that he is confident an immunisation program could begin in 2008 that will be subsidised, however the debate at the moment is about the terms and conditions. Kim Beazley of course has put his ‘two bobs worth’ in to the ring by saying 2008 is not soon enough. He believes it has to be implemented much earlier than that as if it's by the middle of next year, the chances are it'll be available to American women before it's available to Australian women. I have difficulty in understanding Kim Beazleys fears however any vaccine that demotes a life threatening illness is a ‘Godsend’, both emotionally and financially. Lets just pray it lowers the suffering.
I’m Phillip Pye.
Every day, over 40 Australian women undergo surgery to remove pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions from the cervix. If you didn’t already know, Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, or womb, and is situated at the top of the vagina. Cervical cancer develops when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix begin to multiply out of control and form pre-cancerous lesions. If undetected, these lesions can develop into tumours and spread into the surrounding tissue.
Each year in Australia more than 800 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and over 200 women die from this disease. Globally cervical cancer is the second most common women’s cancer, which is why many countries, including Australia have implemented regular ‘pap test’ screening programs to detect cervical abnormalities. Invasive cervical cancer used to be more common in Australia but now, because of the National Cervical Screening Program, which takes the form of 2-yearly Papanicolou smears (or ‘Pap tests’) for women, the incidence of invasive cervical cancer has fallen dramatically in the last decade.
A disturbing fact is that Cervical Cancer does not discriminate. In that I mean it can affect all walks of life. It occurs mainly in women over 35 years of age and is uncommon in women under 25 although cases of younger women have been recorded. The good news is that a vaccine named “Gardasil” has been developed, right here in Australia by ‘Australian of the Year’ Professor Ian Frazer. Prime Minister ‘John Howard’, and Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott have declared that the new cervical cancer vaccine will be subsidised. The drug will end up being on the PBS [Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme] list, it's a question of precisely when, and apparently a question of price at this point.
There has certainly been plenty of noise from Female Politicians around Australia pushing for a vaccination program. Acting Queensland Premier ‘Anna Bligh’ says there are medical and economic reasons to subsidise a new cervical cancer vaccine. Ms Bligh admits it would cost $13 million a year to vaccinate 30,000 year eight Queensland girls but says that is cheaper than treating the effects of the disease because the drug has the capacity to keep young women of the next generation free from a very serious life threatening disease and in turn, in preventing the disease, money in the health system is saved making it ‘false economy’ for the committee to argue that it is an expensive exercise. Ms Bligh says the logic is wrong in not funding the vaccine.
Mr Howard now says that he is confident an immunisation program could begin in 2008 that will be subsidised, however the debate at the moment is about the terms and conditions. Kim Beazley of course has put his ‘two bobs worth’ in to the ring by saying 2008 is not soon enough. He believes it has to be implemented much earlier than that as if it's by the middle of next year, the chances are it'll be available to American women before it's available to Australian women. I have difficulty in understanding Kim Beazleys fears however any vaccine that demotes a life threatening illness is a ‘Godsend’, both emotionally and financially. Lets just pray it lowers the suffering.
I’m Phillip Pye.