Human papillomavirus (HPV) Herpes zoster (shingles) vaccines for POZ?????

[bimazek]

Human papillomavirus (HPV) Herpes zoster (shingles) vaccines for POZ??

Anyone know if these two vaccines are approved or possible in trials for POZ guys??

or even if your doctor gave them to you if they are not approved, sometimes dr.s do that let us know

please post

are these approved yet for poz people???

for some reason CDC does not seem to be able to issue a coherent complete advisory and practices for ALL people for ALL diseases....

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has released the 2007-2008 recommended immunization schedules for adults in the US.

The schedule includes 11 different types of vaccines for adults, including:

    * Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Td/Tdap)

    * Human papillomavirus (HPV)

    * Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)

    * Influenza

    * Herpes zoster (shingles)

Key changes in this year's recommendations include:

    * Varicella (chickenpox) vaccination is recommended for all adults that have no apparent immunity to the virus

    * Zoster (shingles) vaccination is advised for all adults 60 years of age and older, regardless of whether they have had a prior shingles episode

    * HPV vaccine is recommended for women over the age of 26, who have not already completed the three-dose series

It is recommended that flu vaccination be administered to anyone with the following medical conditions:

    * Chronic disorders of the cardiovascular or pulmonary systems, including asthma

    * Chronic metabolic diseases, such as diabetes

    * Renal or hepatic dysfunction

    * Immunosuppression, including suppression caused by medications or HIV

    * Pregnancy during flu season

Sources:

[Tim Horn]

Bim:

First, the herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax) -- this is not approved yet for HIV-positive people and, until there's research proving it safe in people with HIV, it won't likely be approved for this indication anytime soon. Fact is, Zostavax isa live, attenuated vaccine. In turn, it can cause extensive side effects, including severe rash and disseminated disease, in people with compromised immune systems. While it's very like that HIV-positive people with relatively healthy immune systems will be a-okay after receiving Zostavax, it's not at all clear what CD4 count really constitutes "immune suppression" when it comes to the use of live vaccines. So, until there's more info, the FDA has pretty much recommended that the vaccine be avoided by all HIV-positive people, regardless of the immune system status.

As for the HPV vaccine, all we really know about it is that it's effective at reducing cervical precancerous lesions in women who received the injections between the ages of 16 and 26. These are relatively young women and the reason why the vaccine was so incredibly effective is because most of them had not yet had many (or any) sexual partners. This is why the vaccine -- Gardasil -- is being recommended for school-age girls, as it won't work in women who have already been infected with the four common cancers (types 16 and 18) and non-cancerous (types 6 and 11) forms of HPV. Studies looking at the efficacy of the vaccine in men who have sex with men -- they're at a high risk for anal HPV infection -- are under way. As for studies in HIV-positive people, these are planned... but have not yet been conducted. The concern here is that many HIV-positive people have already been infected HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 and won't benefit from the vaccine. While this may be true, there are also a whole lot of HIV-postive men or women who haven't been infected with HPV... or have only been infected with one or two of these HPV types and may very well benefit from the vaccine. In fact, many HIV-positive men and women have received the vaccine from their doctors. Given that it only contains fragments of these four HPV types -- the vaccine is not live -- it is generally considered safe.

Tim Horn

[Miss Philicia]

They're doing a Gardasil trial here in Philadelphia for gay men at the Mazonni Center.