A new study has revealed that health care providers may be failing to routinely offer the HPV vaccine to boys, potentially putting them at risk of cancer later in life. Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with cervical, vaginal, anal, mouth and throat cancers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all boys and girls aged 11 to 12 should receive the HPV vaccine to reduce this risk. However, the most recent statistics from 2016 show that while around 65 percent of girls had started the vaccine course, only 56 percent of boys had. The study provides some insight into why. The researchers analyzed a national survey from 2015 that asked parents why their children didn’t receive the vaccine. ...
Category Archives : TeenHealth News
8 secondary students die, as mysterious epidemic hits Katsina
A mysterious epidemic has hit Government Science Secondary School, Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing eight students. The development was said to have forced the school to shut down indefinitely, as students were sent back home due to the outbreak. Member representing Kurfi Constituency at the Katsina State House of Assembly, Kabir Lawal, made the revelation on the floor of the house, yesterday. Lawal called for a swift action in the matter, which he described as very urgent. “The epidemic has now forced the school authority to close the school and send students back home,” Lawal said. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House, Abubakar Kusada, has directed the House Committees on Education and Health to “conduct a thorough investigation” on the incident and report back to the House. Also, the two other lawmakers from Kafur and Dutsinma constituencies, Garba Useini and Bishir Mamman, respectively, told the House that their constituencies experienced similar epidemic, but then could not give the numbers of casualties. ...
Encouraging teens to diet can cause higher risk of obesity as adult
Parents who encourage their teens to diet could negatively impact their child’s weight-related and emotional health for years to come, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics. “Experiencing parent encouragement to diet as an adolescent was significantly associated with a higher risk of overweight or obesity, dieting, binge eating, engaging in unhealthy weight control behaviors, and lower body satisfaction 15 years later as a parent,” the study, which followed 556 teens whose parents encouraged dieting over a 15-year period, stated. The researchers even followed the teens — who came from diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds — as they went on to become parents themselves. ...
Opioid poisonings, overdoses send more US kids to hospitals
Opioid poisonings and overdoses are sending increasing numbers of U.S. children and teens to the hospital, according to a study showing a substantial rise in young patients needing critical care. The study included accidental poisonings along with overdoses from intentional use. Prescription painkillers were most commonly involved, but heroin, methadone and other opioid drugs also were used. ...
Rwanda: Teen Pregnancies- Women’s Council to Focus on fighting unwanted pregnancies in 2018
The National Women’s Council’s main focus for 2018 will be fighting unwanted pregnancies among girls in the country. The remarks were made yesterday during the council’s general assembly meeting in Kigali. The meeting was convened to reflect on what was achieved in 2016/2017 as well as looking at the priorities for the remaining part of 2017 and 2018. Aurore Umuhoza, the coordinator of the National Women Council in Kigali said after the meeting that many different things that were planned by the council for 2016/2017 was achieved and where that more efforts were needed were fighting early unwanted pregnancies among the girls. ...
Teen’s death at Chinese internet addiction camp sparks anger
A Chinese teenager has died days after he was sent to an internet addiction treatment centre, reigniting criticism of these controversial institutions. The 18-year-old had allegedly sustained multiple injuries, and the centre’s director and staff members have been held by police, according to reports. The incident took place earlier this month in eastern Anhui province. China has seen a proliferation in so-called “boot camps” aimed at treating internet and gaming addictions. ...
Australian teenager in hospital after sea bug attack
An Australian teenager is recovering in hospital after being bitten by multiple “mite-sized sea critters”. Sam Kanizay, 16, found his feet and ankles covered in blood after soaking his legs in Melbourne’s Brighton Beach on Saturday evening. Jarrod Kanizay said his son arrived home with what “looked like a war injury” and that his legs would not stop bleeding. The family is seeking expert opinion to identify the flesh-eating bugs. ...
“Half of all Australian university students ‘ sexually harassed’
More than half of university students in Australia were sexually harassed at least once in 2016, according to a national survey. The Australian Human Rights Commission report also found that almost 7% of students were sexually assaulted on at least one occasion in 2015 or 2016. Women at university were more likely than men to be assaulted or harassed, the commission found. The milestone study is said to be the largest of its kind in Australia. ...