This is too good to pass up.
I've had it drilled into me that typos can cost you big time. Money. Credibility. And sure, sometimes we think- no big deal, there are no auto-fails in the real world. Wrong.
Major auto-fail. I just wish the headline was better.
Penguin reprints book, peppered with an error, wants it taken with grain of salt
Thanks to @WinnipegEats @jenettemartens
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Great HPV Vaccine Debate
I wanted to include a sample of some journalistic writing on my blog, so I thought I'd post a story on a well-debated topic: the HPV vaccine. While I first wrote this article over a year ago, the topic is still controversial, and I believe, still relevant. It’s one of the journalistic pieces I'm most proud of from my time in Creative Communications and it first appeared in an issue of The Projector, Red River College's student newspaper. I won the Eric and Jack Wells Award for Excellence in Journalism (2009) for this story.
HPV is a common virus with over 100 strains, some which are sexually transmitted. The Public Health Agency of Canada (Public Health) says that “75 per cent of sexually active Canadians will have a sexually transmitted HPV infection at some point in their lifetime.” Often, a person exhibits no symptoms and the body’s immune system fights off the infection on its own. In some cases, the virus can remain in a person’s body and if it is a high-risk strain, that is when problems occur. These problems include genital warts, abnormal cervical cells, and vaginal and cervical cancer. Condoms provide some protection from HPV, but the virus can still be transmitted by contact with exposed skin that the condom doesn’t cover. Health Canada, which approved the use of Gardasil for girls and women ages nine to 26, views the vaccine as “a new prevention method…that is expected to at least complement and augment the prevention of cervical cancer, through the existing screening program in Canada.”
The fact that Canada has an existing screening program is one of the reasons groups like The Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN) has raised questions about the vaccine. “We’re not necessarily against the vaccine but we feel that more questions need to be asked,” says Ellen Reynolds, director of communications for CWHN. “What’s the rush when there is no epidemic of cervical cancer in Canada?” Reynolds’ concern is that Gardasil vaccination programs will overshadow traditional screening programs. “With all this attention and marketing focused on the vaccine, it may be promoting a false sense of security among young women who may not think they need Pap screening,” she says. “There are other strains of HPV that are linked with cervical cancer that the vaccine does not cover.”
According to Public Health, while cervical cancer is “the second most common form of cancer in women worldwide,” it is only “the eleventh most frequently diagnosed cancer among Canadian women.” CancerCare Manitoba reports that “most women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer have never had a Pap test or haven’t had one in over 5 years.”
“Cervical cancer develops over a long period of time,” says Anita, a public health nurse at Nine Circles Community Health Centre who declined to give her last name. “With regular Pap tests, a doctor should be able to catch changes to the cervical cells before it turns into a cancer.”
Mixed opinions on Gardasil aren’t limited to health professionals. Many women have strong opinions about the vaccine and the drug company that targets them.
“I think that the advertising for Gardasil has been extremely aggressive, which turns me off,” says Elizabeth Stregger, 27. “I doubt that HPV would be the first health issue women identified as being important to them.... I also see it as part of a trend of making sexual issues ‘women's issues,’ and therefore women's responsibilities. HPV will become something women are responsible for, just like birth control.”
Rhonda Varnes, 24, thinks the vaccine is a good thing. “I decided a few months ago to have the shots done,” she says. “I chose this because my grandma suffered from cervical cancer and my ex-fiance had been cheating on me. I figured you never know and I don’t want to end up getting HPV down the line somewhere. It’s just another way to protect [yourself] from one STD at the very least."
Other women expressed confusion about the information available to them in making an educated decision, something that is a major concern for Reynolds and the CWHN. “We want more unbiased public health information out there on the vaccine,” she says. “Most of the information is coming directly from the drug company. People shouldn’t be pressured by marketing; they need to take a step back and make the decision for themselves.”
***
When Gardasil was first approved by Health Canada in July of 2006, many people were excited at the prospect of a vaccine that could lower the incidence of cervical cancer in women. Others questioned the necessity of the vaccine when we already have an effective way of managing cervical cancer in Canada. As provincial governments across the country begin to implement vaccination programs for female grade 6 students, the questions continue. With people on both sides of the debate, it would seem that there are still no clear answers.
According to Merck Frosst Canada Ltd, makers of Gardasil, the vaccine offers protection against four types of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which causes “70 per cent of cervical cancer and 90 per cent of genital warts.” Gardasil requires a prescription and is administered in three doses: an initial dose followed by one at two months and one at six months. Each dose costs approximately $135 and is not covered by PharmaCare or Manitoba Health. Some insurance companies have plans that provide full or partial coverage. Women with private health insurance can contact their insurance provider to find out if the vaccine is covered. The Red River College student benefits plan does not cover the vaccine. HPV is a common virus with over 100 strains, some which are sexually transmitted. The Public Health Agency of Canada (Public Health) says that “75 per cent of sexually active Canadians will have a sexually transmitted HPV infection at some point in their lifetime.” Often, a person exhibits no symptoms and the body’s immune system fights off the infection on its own. In some cases, the virus can remain in a person’s body and if it is a high-risk strain, that is when problems occur. These problems include genital warts, abnormal cervical cells, and vaginal and cervical cancer. Condoms provide some protection from HPV, but the virus can still be transmitted by contact with exposed skin that the condom doesn’t cover. Health Canada, which approved the use of Gardasil for girls and women ages nine to 26, views the vaccine as “a new prevention method…that is expected to at least complement and augment the prevention of cervical cancer, through the existing screening program in Canada.”
The fact that Canada has an existing screening program is one of the reasons groups like The Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN) has raised questions about the vaccine. “We’re not necessarily against the vaccine but we feel that more questions need to be asked,” says Ellen Reynolds, director of communications for CWHN. “What’s the rush when there is no epidemic of cervical cancer in Canada?” Reynolds’ concern is that Gardasil vaccination programs will overshadow traditional screening programs. “With all this attention and marketing focused on the vaccine, it may be promoting a false sense of security among young women who may not think they need Pap screening,” she says. “There are other strains of HPV that are linked with cervical cancer that the vaccine does not cover.”
According to Public Health, while cervical cancer is “the second most common form of cancer in women worldwide,” it is only “the eleventh most frequently diagnosed cancer among Canadian women.” CancerCare Manitoba reports that “most women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer have never had a Pap test or haven’t had one in over 5 years.”
“Cervical cancer develops over a long period of time,” says Anita, a public health nurse at Nine Circles Community Health Centre who declined to give her last name. “With regular Pap tests, a doctor should be able to catch changes to the cervical cells before it turns into a cancer.”
Mixed opinions on Gardasil aren’t limited to health professionals. Many women have strong opinions about the vaccine and the drug company that targets them.
“I think that the advertising for Gardasil has been extremely aggressive, which turns me off,” says Elizabeth Stregger, 27. “I doubt that HPV would be the first health issue women identified as being important to them.... I also see it as part of a trend of making sexual issues ‘women's issues,’ and therefore women's responsibilities. HPV will become something women are responsible for, just like birth control.”
Rhonda Varnes, 24, thinks the vaccine is a good thing. “I decided a few months ago to have the shots done,” she says. “I chose this because my grandma suffered from cervical cancer and my ex-fiance had been cheating on me. I figured you never know and I don’t want to end up getting HPV down the line somewhere. It’s just another way to protect [yourself] from one STD at the very least."
Other women expressed confusion about the information available to them in making an educated decision, something that is a major concern for Reynolds and the CWHN. “We want more unbiased public health information out there on the vaccine,” she says. “Most of the information is coming directly from the drug company. People shouldn’t be pressured by marketing; they need to take a step back and make the decision for themselves.”
©Teri Stevens 2009
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Bookworms Unite!
I love to read. I usually have a bunch of books on the go, though I try to limit myself to one piece of fiction at a time so I don't get completely confused. I used to work in a bookstore, where people asked for my opinion on books all the time. These days, I don't get to talk about books much, so I thought I'd share some of my recent reads with you, dear reader. I've had a busy year, finishing an intense education program, so lately, I've been looking for fluff. The novel equivalent of a candy bar. That means lots of genre fiction and mass market paperbacks. My reading list isn't for everyone, but summer is coming up, and who doesn't love a breezy beach read?
The books I've read since January (that I remember):
We So Seldom Look on Love by Barbara Gowdy
The Harper Connelly Mysteries by Charlaine Harris: Grave Sight, Grave Secret, Grave Surprise and An Ice Cold Grave
Long Lost by Harlan Coben
ON/IN/AT- 3 books by Tegan and Sara
6 volumes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 in graphic novel form
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
Candy Girl by Diablo Cody
There might be more, but 20 books is pretty good!
As for what's up next: I just bought Generation A by Douglas Coupland and hope to get my hands on Caught by Harlan Coben if my mother lets me borrow it. And of course, there is a new Sookie Stackhouse novel around the corner- Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. It’s coming out May 4th and I can hardly wait!
I am currently reading:
The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
The books I've read since January (that I remember):
We So Seldom Look on Love by Barbara Gowdy
The Harper Connelly Mysteries by Charlaine Harris: Grave Sight, Grave Secret, Grave Surprise and An Ice Cold Grave
ON/IN/AT- 3 books by Tegan and Sara
6 volumes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 in graphic novel form
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
Candy Girl by Diablo Cody
There might be more, but 20 books is pretty good!
As for what's up next: I just bought Generation A by Douglas Coupland and hope to get my hands on Caught by Harlan Coben if my mother lets me borrow it. And of course, there is a new Sookie Stackhouse novel around the corner- Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. It’s coming out May 4th and I can hardly wait!Monday, April 5, 2010
Hot Thespians in Action!
I have an article in this month's awesome new Winnipeg magazine, Sandbox. It's on the Winnipeg theatre troupe Hot Thespian Action, who just happen to be doing a best-of show at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival on April 9 at 8pm at the Gas Station Theatre. Check out the article here to find out how they come up with their wacky, hilarious, and insightful sketch comedy!
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