Yingluck Should Grasp This Chance To Upstage Angelina: Editorial

[hellodolly]

An article based on misplaced nationalism and the desire for big face as Yingluck isn't asked to join in Angelina Jolie's campaign for better female health care she has to " upstage her ". It says Jolie's efforts will be forgotten in decades but Yingluck could go down in history which may well be true but nothing to do with health care issues.

Living in the present Jolie will achieve more than the PM could ever dream of as she is known all over the world whereas Yingluck is well, known in Thailand but I could be very wrong as this is the " hub " of everything.

Just a grab for headlines. All medical procedures here in Thailand should be upgraded.

Men, Women, children and babies.

[Donnie Brasco]

"cervical cancer........... second-most deadly health issue for Thai women" is a preventable disease. There is a HPV vaccine available which, if given to girls before they become sexually active, is 100% effective in prevention.

Yingluk could set up a free vaccination program, but I doubt it will happen. But now that you know about it, what is your excuse for not having your children vaccinated (it works for boys, too)?

I didn't know boys had a cervix? Good news about this vaccine though I must say I have never heard of it & if it exists feel sure most Western countries would have zero cervical cancer deaths.

Oh, an HPV vaccine does exist, all right but its side effects present a huge problem for Big Pharma. Think about it; would there be any better way to market a vaccine than to graft its acceptance onto the bandwagon of a majority party politician ?

Thailand is ripe for exploitation by these companies both as trial fields for new product and then as legislated consumers of whatever might be the "vaccine du jour".

We can all remember the massive bird flu and swine flu scares. Then of course there was the H1N1 plague whose scare campaign proved so resilient even after the scourge had passed that it was used to peddle air conditioners.

The afore-mentioned "plagues" killed fewer people in the entire AEC region than get themselves terminated in motorcycle accidents over a couple of festive weekends in their respective jurisdictions.

This latest marketing ploy, the Yingjelika factor, might be just the ticket in this region.

I'm sure they can get Ang San Su Kii on board as well.

But what about those poor benighted young girls ?

Who's looking out for them ? Big Pharma ;-?

Globalism at its best.

[Bagwan]

As usual with this (and other boards I guess) there are many spouting about something that they know little or nothing accurate about. Every person reading this has one or more HPV infections. It is quite normal and in the vast majority of cases the person is unaware of the infection and the body's defence system deals with the invasion. Your body is one big battleground. For every cell in your body there are about 10 nasties (viruses, bacterium, many of them performing essential tasks, others not so beneficial are dealt with by the body's defence systems. There are over 100 different varieties of HPV's and the vast majority are completely harmless. Only a handful are dangerous and some of these can causes cancers (types 16,18 and 82 give cause for alarm). Laboratory testing can easily identify these and appropriate treatment prescribed. Ladies who do not undergo annual pap smears are very ill advised as early detection and treatment is a life saver.

My sources are not some gabby sot whose cousin told him all he needs to know but a doctor who has a surgery at Bumrungrad who passed her M.D. examinations with First Class Honours and has since acquired 4 different qualifications in the US, and a doctor who specialises in the treatment of HIV is is recognised as a leading authority in Thailand.

Further and informed information it can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus. Some may disparage information contained in articles in Wikipedia but perusal of the bibliography which shows that the contributors are professional medical researchers and practicing health professionals may cause to to pause for thought.

The posts by Donnie Brasco regarding the incidence of prostate cancer versus breast cancer are accurate. Some 15 years or so ago a doctor wrote to the Daily Telegraph pointing out that prostate cancer was much more prevalent and bemoaned that more NHS resources were allocated to breast cancer which he attributed to the actions of forceful vociferous women. I think that reluctance of most men to having somebody putting his hand up their rear end just might have something to do with it too.

[Donnie Brasco]

Thank you Bagwan for addressing this issue.

My experience with and my research into the antics of Big Pharma, while they may leave me with a smaller crowdsource than a medical professional, are ongoing and as thorough as they I can make them.

The answer to the HPV issues you raise would be free access to pelvic exams for all who need them. The more practical remedy, though arguably one fraught with perils of its own would be a broad-base vaccination of the female population.

Medical professionals are fully aware of the drawbacks and dangers of such programs.

It takes great courage and, given the characteristics of this particular jurisdiction, a superior moral and ethical sense for a medical professional to question any consensuses and received wisdom others, for whatever reason, may have acquired. The rewards for going along with the consensus are well known. The penalties are severe.

It is both unfair and unwise to mischaracterize those who question majority opinion especially majority opinions which appear to serve corporate greed.

Sincerely,

The Constant Gardner