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An Australian study has found that human papillomavirus (HPV) testing detects a higher number of precancerous cervical lesions than traditional Pap smears. Many countries are considering switching from the classic Pap smear to HPV testing for cervical cancer screening. From 2018, New Zealand’s National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP) will change the first step in the screening […]

A mumps outbreak in Auckland has hit 300 cases this year, more than the last 16 years combined, due in part to a large cohort of unvaccinated young people. The Auckland Public Regional Health Service released updated numbers on the outbreak on Tuesday, saying a ‘lost generation’ of young people faced a triple threat of […]

Finally, we’re catching a bit of a break in the battle against drug-resistant infectious diseases. A New Zealand study has shown a meningococcal B vaccine provides some protection against gonorrhoea, which the WHO has been highlighted as an emerging drug-resistant disease. Between 2004 and 2008, while New Zealand was in the grips of a Group […]

Health officials are appealing for parents to immunise their children in the midst of a mumps outbreak in Auckland. More than 130 cases of the viral disease have been notified in Auckland this year to date, compared to 35 for the same period last year. The Auckland Regional Public Health Service (APRHS) has said 80 […]

The European Court of Justice has ruled that national courts can decide that vaccines can cause adverse reactions, even in the absence of scientific evidence. The ruling follows a case of a French patient who was vaccinated against hepatitis B in 1998 and developed multiple sclerosis a year later. Prior to his death in 2011, […]

The immense polarisation of opinions on immunisation has been highlighted through the response to Dr Lance O’Sullivan’s protest of an anti-vaccination documentary, GP Dr Cathy Stephenson writes on stuff.co.nz. An excerpt (read in full): There are people in both camps whose views won’t be shifted – that’s fine by me. We live in a world […]

Should New Zealand follow the Australian ‘no jab, no pay’ model to boost immunisation rates? Nikki Turner from the Immunisation Advisory Centre says no, our current approach is working. An excerpt (read in full): By being systematic, setting national targets and communicating effectively to healthcare providers and parents, we have seen a dramatic improvement in […]

As students head back to school this week, boys, as well as girls, will have funded access to the HPV vaccine Gardasil. The rollout follows Pharmac’s decision last year to extend the vaccine programme. Though Gardasil is commonly known to protect against cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) also causes other cancers in both men and women. […]

Pharmac will extend funding for HPV vaccine Gardasil to also cover boys and will change the vaccine type to cover more varieties of HPV. Following public consultation, Pharmac announced several changes to the vaccination schedule, including funding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for boys. HPV can cause several types of cancer, including cervical and throat […]

Influenza vaccinations are more effective in the morning, reports a new study. The UK research, published in the journal Vaccine, compared the immune response of 276 older adults vaccinated in the morning  or afternoon, and found that morning-vaccinated people had more influenza-fighting antibodies when tested one month later Read more about the study on Scimex.org The Science […]