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African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 10 NEWSLETTER November 2009HPV VIRUS / CERVICAL CANCER VACCINEHAPPY 10 TH BIRTHDAY – BLACKHERBALS.COMTwo Thousand Schoolgirlssuffer Suspected Ill-effectsfrom Cervical Cancer VaccineThousands of schoolgirls have suffered suspectedadverse reactions to a controversial cervical cancervaccine introduced by the Government.By Laura Donnelly12 September 2009Doctors' reports show that girls of 12 and 13 haveexperienced convulsions, fever and paralysis after beinggiven the vaccine, which is now administered in schools aspart of efforts to prevent women developing cancer.Others suffered nausea, muscle weakness, dizziness andblurred vision, according to a special report drawn up bydrug safety watchdogs.A support group says it has received dozens of calls fromparents who believe their daughters have been damaged bythe vaccine.The parents of one teenage girl given the jab last autumnbelieve it was to blame for repeated seizures which haveContinued on page 2What is the African TraditionalHerbal Research Clinic?We can make you healthy and wiseNakato LewisBlackherbals at the Source of the Nile, UG Ltd.The African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic locatedin Bukoto, Uganda is a modern clinic facility created toestablish a model space whereby indigenous herbalpractitioners and healers can upgrade and update theirskills through training and certification and respond tocommon diseases using African healing methods andtraditions in a modern clinical environment.Traditional healers are the major health labor resource inAfrica as a whole. In Uganda, indigenous traditionalhealers are the only source of health services for themajority of the population. An estimated 80% of thepopulation receives its health education and health carefrom practitioners of traditional medicine. They areknowledgeable of the culture, the local languages andlocal traditions. Our purpose is to raise public awarenessand understanding on the value of African traditionalherbal medicine and other healing practices in today’sworld.I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE1 Two Thousand Girls suffer Suspected Ill-Effects from Vaccine3 Afrikan Spirituality – Loss of African Traditional Religion4 Feature- CDC Takes a Closer Look at Gardasil and Paralysis5 Gardasil involved in Far Higher Rates of Adverse Effects6 Feature- Uganda: You can Arm your Little Girl with Vaccine8 Feature- Vaccinations designed to Sterilise Women11 CDC: 1 in 3 Teen Girls got Cervical Cancer Vaccine11 Merck’s Gardasil works against Genital Warts in Males12 FDA approves Glaxo’s Cervical Cancer Vaccine14 Gardasil Researcher Drops a Bombshell15 Feature- Cervical Cancer Strikes Poor Women Hardest18 FDA approves Merck’s Gardasil for Boys20 Feature- HPV – The First Cancer Vaccine24 SA: Dept Considers Introduction of Cervical Cancer Vaccines29 African Heritage Series: Tracing Africa’s Decline32 Sex, Cancer and the Mandatory HPV Vaccine36 HPV Vaccine a Suggestion not Mandate in US38 Feature- Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa Cells40 The Virus behind the Cancer44 Herb of the Month – Curcuma Longa -The Magic of TumericThe Clinic is open and operational. Some of the serviceswe offer are African herbal medicine, reflexology,acupressure, hot and cold hydrotherapy, body massage,herbal tonics, patient counseling, blood pressure checks,urine testing (sugar), and nutritional profiles. We believein spirit, mind, and body. Spiritual counseling uponrequest.Visit us also at www.Blackherbals.comHours: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday thru FridaySaturday by Appointment - Sundays – Closed-1-Traditional African Clinic – November 2009

Cont’t from page 1 - Two-Thousand School Girls Sufferleft her with brain damage and psychosis.The immunisation programme for teenage girls iscontroversial because it protects them from the sexuallytransmitted human papillomavirus which causes 70 percent of cervical tumours.When the Government introduced the Cervarixvaccination programme last year, some campaignersdubbed it a "promiscuity jab".Campaigners and families said the new figures showedthe vaccination should not have been introduced via amass programme.More than one million girls have already been given thejab, which is offered to all as they enter their teens.Until 2011 it will also be administered to older girls, sothat all female teens below the age of 18 will becovered by the programme.Ministers say that ultimately the scheme will save 700lives a year, while drug safety experts insist the numberof suspected reactions are outweighed by the benefitsfrom the jab.Most of the more than 2,000 suspected reactionsrecorded by drug safety watchdog Medicines andHealth care products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)were mild, with dozens of girls recording rashes, painin the arm, and allergies.But the report prepared by the MHRA earlier thismonth also discloses cases in which teens have sufferedconvulsions, eye rolling, muscle spasms, seizures andhyperventilation soon after being given the jab.The analysis by the MHRA, drawn up this month,found 2,107 patients had reported some kind ofsuspected adverse reaction to Cervarix. Severalreported multiple reactions, with 4,602 suspected sideeffectsrecorded in total.Jackie Fletcher, founder of Jabs, a support group forfamilies whose children have fallen ill afterimmunisation, said she had taken dozens of calls fromparents who believed their daughters had been damagedby the cervical cancer vaccine.She said: "We have spoken to parents whose daughtershave had seizures, paralysis, blurred vision, severeheadaches and the loss of feeling in parts of their body."Doctors will try to convince parents that theseproblems are in their child's mind, or have nothing todo with the vaccines, but we don't think there issufficient evidence to show Cervarix is safe."Medical safety experts insist the benefits of the vaccine-2-Traditional African Clinic – November 2009outweigh the risks.They say many of the patients who experienced an"adverse" reaction to the jab since April 2008, includingsome who took part in drug trials or bought the drugprivately, only suffered short-term side effects from theinjection process, not as a result of the drug.There was no evidence to suggest "isolated cases of othermedical conditions" were actually caused by the vaccine,and not just a coincidence, the regulator's report said.Cancer charities urged parents to continue allowing theirdaughters to have the jabs, saying the numbers were wellwithin what would have been expected for a large-scaleprogramme, and that most of the side effects were minor.Robert Music, director of cervical cancer charity Jo'sTrust said: "I can understand why parents would feelcautious, but this programme could reduce 70 per cent ofcervical cancers.We need to keep reviewing the evidence, but we wouldreally urge parents to make sure their daughters have thevaccination."Stacey Jones is one of those who believes she hassuffered side effects from the vaccine. She was 17 whenshe had her first Cervarix injection.Her parents Julie and Kerry, from Bilston, WestMidlands, noticed her becoming increasingly emotionalin the weeks following the first two jabs, but feared their"happy-go-lucky" girl had finally succumbed toadolescent moodswings.Within four days of the third injection in March of thisyear, Stacey suffered an epileptic seizure, followed by 17more in the following week.She has now been diagnosed with a brain injury, causedby inflammation of the brain, and is being treated in anNHS rehabilitation unit in Birmingham, which helps herwith basic tasks like making a sandwich.Seizures are minimised by five types of medication, buther memory is badly damaged.The family has been given no explanation for how thedamage occurred. Mrs Jones, 44, said: "She was such alovely, happy go-lucky girl, now she is just a shell."When we go to see her, she can't remember what she hasjust eaten for tea. The impact on her and all of us hasbeen absolutely devastating. I feel she has been used as aguinea pig."A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline, which makesCervarix, said the drug had to undergo rigorous testing,with over 70,000 doses used in trials before a licence wasgranted.Continued on page

AFRIKAN SPIRITUALITYThe Loss of African TraditionalReligion in Contemporary AfricaBy Rev. Peter E. Adotey AddoThe desecration of Africa in the past by the WesternEuropean powers seriously and adversely affected thetraditional cultures of the indigenous African people to theextent that many traditional beliefs, social values, customs,and rituals were either totally destroyed or ignored. In mostcases they were considered to be nothing more than paganvalues and superstitions that played no part in traditionalAfrican culture. Culture after all is the way of life developedby people as they cope with survival. True culture then mustinclude the traditional beliefs and spiritualism. Theintroduction of European Christianity and values separatedthe indigenous Africans from their traditional ancient spiritualroots as well as their traditional identity as a spiritual people.This short paper is to introduce the reader to an introductionto Traditional African Religion Traditional African religion iscentered on the existence of one Supreme High God.However, the Europeans who spread Christianity in Africanever understood or properly appreciated the African's ownconception of the Great Creator. They saw no similaritybetween the God they preached and the African's own beliefin the One Supreme God and creator who was, king,Omnipotent, Omniscient, the Great Judge, Compassionate,Holy and Invisible, Immortal and Transcendent. Thetraditional African belief is that the Great One brought thedivinities into being. He therefore is the maker andeverything in heaven and on earth owes their origin to Himalone. He is the Great king above all Kings and can not becompared in majesty. He is above all majesties and divinities.He dwells everywhere. Thus He is omnipotent because He isable to do all things and nothing can be done nor createdapart from Him. He is behind all achievements. He alone canspeak and accomplish his words. Therefore there is no roomfor failure. He is Absolute, all wise Omniscient, all seeing,and all Knowing. He knows all things and so no secrets arehid from Him. If there is rain it is God who wills it and if thefish do not run it is by His will. This Great Creator is the finalJudge of all things, but he is able to be compassionate andmerciful. He can look kindly and most mercifully on thesuffering of men and women and is able to smooth the roughroads through his divine priests and the spirits of theancestors. The God of the African Traditional Religion is alsoa Holy God both ritually and ethically. He is complete and_______________Managing Editor: Nakato LewisPUBLISHER: KIWANUKA LEWISPublished monthly and freely by BHSN for the African TraditionalHerbal Research Clinic-3-Traditional African Clinic – November 2009The traditional shrine as a symbol of our cultural historyabsolute since He is never involved in any wrong orimmorality.Traditionally Africans believe that since God's holinessblinds He therefore can not be approached by meremortals. He is a spirit and thus must be approached byspirits invisible to mere humans.How is this God to be approached then? He is to beapproached directly and indirectly only through hischosen priests. Libations or prayers are the onlysupplications acceptable. And they are made by hischosen priests in traditional rituals and ceremonies atappropriate times and places. The priest becomes thekeeper of the welfare of the people and subsequently isentrusted with the sacred rituals of worship. The Africantherefore does not need to prove the existence of God toanyone. God is self existing and needs no proof. Hisexistence is self-evident and even children are taught frombirth that the Great One exists. There is a Ga Languageproverb that says, "No one points out the Great One to achild." This God then is given regular and direct worshipat regular intervals and the calendar is kept by dedicatedpriests.However, there is continuous indirect worship on a dailybasis through the divinities and ancestors at all timesduring the day by each family and individual. The ritualaltars in the African villages are the indigenous peoples'way of reaching out and praising the Great Creator. Tothe Africans they are the boundary between heaven andearth, between life and death, between the ordinary andthe world of the spirit. The constant pouring of drink,food and sacrificial animal blood makes them sacred andno one would dare abuse them.Some altars are simple; especially the ones in homes, butsome communities and villages have communal altars forthe entire village as vehicles for channeling the positiveforces from the Great one and the ancestors to the wholecommunity. Through oral traditions these cultural valuesare kept and transmitted from generation to generation. Insummary:Continued on page 37

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 10 NEWSLETTER November 2009FEATURED ARTICLESCDC Takes Closer Look at Gardasil andParalysisBy Deborah KotzMarch 20, 2009Gardasil vaccine.Phil Tetlock and Barbara Mellers were in a raceagainst time to save their 15-year-old daughter, Jenny.As I reported last summer, Jenny developed adegenerative muscle disease nearly two years ago,soon after being vaccinated against the cervicalcancer-causingHPV. She became nearly completelyparalyzed, though her mind was perfectly intact andshe could still enjoy her pet parakeet, HannahMontana, and Twilight.I've been E-mailing Phil regularly over the past year,and up until our last E-mail, one week ago, he hadbeen holding out hope that they would be able to find acure for his daughter—or to at least determine if thehuman papillomavirus vaccine called Gardasil hadcaused his daughter's illness, most likely a juvenileform of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (aka LouGehrig's disease). Sadly, the clock ran out last Sunday,and Jenny passed away.Through their efforts to publicize Jenny's case on theirblog, Jenny's parents have connected with two othersets of parents whose daughters developed whatappears to be ALS after being injected with Gardasil.One was 22-year-old Whitney Baird, who died lastAugust, just 13 months after receiving Gardasil.Another is Alicia Olund, a 12-year-old who beganhaving trouble walking after getting her third shot lastSeptember. She now uses leg braces and a walker athome as her muscles continue to deteriorate. Afterruling out other conditions, her specialists at theUniversity of California-San Francisco MedicalCenter—who also treated Jenny—suspect that Aliciamay have the same condition. "They don't know whatshe has," her mother, Barbara, tells me through tears,"but it's destroying her nerves and muscles, and noneof the treatments they've given her are working. Beforethe vaccine, she was a perfectly healthy child, goingfor her brown belt in karate." (They're awaiting theresults of the ALS test.)]I should point out that juvenile ALS is extremely rare,affecting just 1 in 2 million young people. It'simpossible to say at this point whether these girlswould have developed the condition regardless ofwhether they received Gardasil, but governmentofficials—who still strongly maintain that the vaccineis perfectly safe and potentially lifesaving—are nowstarting to investigate. Scientists from the Food andDrug Administration met recently with Jenny'sneurologists at UCSF to discuss whether it'sscientifically plausible for a vaccine to trigger ALS.And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isplanning to scour its adverse-event database, calledVAERS, to see whether other vaccinations have led toreports of ALS or other severe neurologicalcomplications.Turns out, warnings concerning ALS and vaccineshave been raised before. John Iskander, the CDC'sassociate director for immunization safety, tells me theagency previously has received reports of ALSfollowing the anthrax vaccine. This, in addition to thedeaths of Jenny and Whitney, "kind of tells us that weneed to look more broadly at this issue," he says. He'squick to add that "we're doing just an initial review atthis point; we don't have suspicions that these arecasually related." Continued on page 5-4-Traditional African Clinic – November 2009

Continued from page 4 – CDC Takes a Look at GardasilMerck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, maintains that itsvaccine is extremely safe and points out that it couldpotentially save women from dying of cervical cancer."There are unusual and rare diseases that occur in girlsand women in this age group whether they'revaccinated or not," says Rick Haupt, Merck's head ofthe clinical program for Gardasil. "These patterns don'tindicate any causality." He says no cases of ALSoccurred in Merck's clinical trials but also admits thatthe trials—which included thousands, not millions—weren't large enough to detect such rare diseases.Barbara Shapiro, an ALS expert and associate professorof neurology at Case Western Reserve UniversitySchool of Medicine who was enlisted by a mutualfriend to help the Tetlocks do their research, isn't readyto dismiss the cases as pure coincidence. She's poredover the medical records of Jenny, Whitney, and Aliciaand sees a striking similarity. "Juvenile ALS tends toprogress very slowly over years or even decades, butthese girls all seemed to have a more rapid, progressiveform." She also has uncovered another VAERS reportin the CDC database that could be similar, but since itwas filed by a pharmacist, the CDC told her it doesn'thave details on the girl's identity. Shapiro worries thatthere may be more cases out there that the CDC doesn'tknow about.After all, she tells me, both Whitney and Alicia came tothe CDC's attention only after their parents discoveredJenny's blog and Phil Tetlock urged them to file aVAERS report. This system of voluntary reporting ofadverse events related to vaccines by doctors andpatients is notoriously crude. All too often, adverseevents go unreported, whereas many reports that arefiled turn out not to be related at all to the vaccines.When I point this out to Iskander, he tells me that whileVAERS certainly isn't perfect, it's pretty good atcatching rare events.But what if doctors wouldn't think to link the onset ofALS with a vaccination? I press him. "Reports in themedia, such as the one you're doing, are a good triggerto get doctors to file reports," he responds. In fact,largely because of media attention, reports of adverseevents for Gardasil are about five times as high as theoverall average for any vaccine, he adds. So I supposehe's hoping that if there are other girls out there whodeveloped severe physical disabilities after receivingGardasil, they'll soon be entered into the VAERSdatabase.Still, I'm troubled by the complexities of all of this.How will the CDC ever be able to know whether there'sgovernment's vaccine working group, which makesa true connection between Gardasil and ALS if thisdisease is so rare? And just how much evidence isneeded? Iskander tells me he doesn't make that decisionbut passes on all the information he has to therecommendations about the national immunizationschedule. "They are aware of these cases and that we'vestarted discussions with neurologists and immunologiststo determine if there are mechanisms that could explainhow a vaccine could cause ALS," Iskander says, addingthat "I haven't heard a good answer yet from theseexperts" when it comes to explaining a mechanism.Shapiro says her suspicions are raised enough that she'sdecided not to give her own 11-year-old daughter theGardasil vaccine. "Let's say it causes just one or twocases of ALS every year out of a million doses that aregiven. What if your daughter is the one?"I haven't decided yet whether I want to have my ownteenage daughter vaccinated. The arguments for Gardasilare compelling: It protects against viruses responsible for70 percent of cervical cancers, which still kill manywomen in this country. Since the vaccine is so new, untilmore evidence emerges I think it may be prudent forconcerned parents to consider holding off until theirdaughters reach the verge of sexual activity.http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-women/2009/03/20/cdctakes-closer-look-at-gardasil-and-paralysis.html☻☻☻☻☻☻New US Report shows thatGardasil involved in FarHigher Rates of AdverseEffectsBy Brendan MaloneMarch 25, 2009A new report, issued in February, by the centralizedfederal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System in theUnited States, has compared the anti-HPV vaccineGarasil, with the Menactra (meningococcal) vaccine, andit has found that Gardasil is associated with a far highrate of serious adverse effects than Menactra is.Here is a summary of some of the report’s importantfindings…- Compared to Menactra, receipt of Gardasil isassociated with at least twice as many Emergency Roomvisit reports; 4 times more Death reports; 5 times more“Did Not Recover” reports; and 7 times more “Disabled”reports.Continued on page 10-5-Traditional African Clinic – November 2009

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 10 NEWSLETTER November 2009FEATURED ARTICLESUganda: You Can Arm your Little Girl with aVaccineKampala — Evace Abwoli, a health worker at KampalaCity Council immunises City High School studentsagainst measles in 2003. The cervical cancer vaccinetargets girls aged 10 to 12THE pressures of modern day living expose manywomen to preventable health risks. When we live ahealthy lifestyle, we can plan for the future, be there forour families and raise our children.One such health risk is cervical cancer, caused by theHuman Papilloma virus (HPV). It remains the leadingcause of cancer deaths among women in Uganda, with46 out of 100,000 women suffering from it.Dr. Dan Murokora of the Uganda Women HealthInitiative says since HPV is sexually-transmitted, lifelongsexual abstinence or vaccination prior to the firstsexual encounter offer the greatest protection againstinfection.It is unlikely that many women will be able to abstainfrom sexual intercourse their entire lives, and neitherdoes vaccination encourage them to begin sex early."Vaccination is the most practical primary preventionactivity to prevent cervical cancer," Murokora says.The Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health(PATH), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health,piloted cancer vaccination in Nakasongola and Ibandadistricts. It has also been carried out in India, Vietnamand Peru.According to Dr. Emmanuel Mugisha, the countrymanager for Cervical Cancer Vaccine Project, thevaccine has not registered adverse side-effects. He saysit specifically blocks two types of HPV, 16 and 18 andgets at the root of the cancer. In essence, the vaccinestops cervical cancer before it manifests.The cervical cancer vaccine also blocks HPV types 6and 11, which are not associated with cervical cancer,but are associated with genital warts and mild pap testabnormalities.Halima Shaban20 April 2009Vivian Tsu, the senior programme manager of PATH,says the vaccination targets girls aged between 10 and12. "Women are at risk as soon as they start engaging insexual activities. The vaccine is effective when one isvaccinated before becoming sexually active," she says.Mugisha says the vaccine may also be used on girls asyoung as nine. This allows a girl's immune system to beactivated before she is likely to get in contact with theHPV. Vaccination at this age also allows for the highestanti-body levels. The higher the antibodies, the greaterthe protection."Girls in Nakasongola have already received three dosesof the vaccine, while those in Ibanda are awaiting theirthird dose. We registered coverage of over 90% for allthe three doses in Nakasongola," Mugisha says.The vaccine is given as a series of three injections over asix-month period. The second dose is given two monthsafter the first dose and the third dose is given fourmonths later."In early clinical trials, researchers observed that theanti-body levels in women continued to go up with eachof the three doses of the vaccine. Since anti-body levelsinevitably fall once you stop getting a vaccine, it makessense to start with high anti-body levels to get thegreatest HPV protection for the longest possible time -years or even decades," Mugisha says.According to the World Health Organisation, about510,000 new cases of cervical cancer are reported eachyear.Tsu says HPV vaccination could reduce cervical cancerdeaths in developing countries to the low levelscurrently observed in many developed countries,especially when combined with simple, evidence-basedscreening and treatment approaches.-6-Traditional African Clinic – November 2009Murokora says cervical cancer forms in the tissues ofthe cervix, an organ that connects the uterus to theContinued on page 7

Continued from page 6 – Uganda: You Can Arm your LittleGirl with a Vaccinevagina. It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may nothave symptoms, but can be found with regular Pap tests,a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervixand looked at under a microscope.Mugisha says the cervical cancer vaccine has proved tobe remarkably safe. "The most common complaint issoreness at the injection site (the upper arm). Low-gradefever or flu-like symptoms are also common. Sometimesdizziness or fainting occurs after the injection, especiallyin adolescents. Overall, the effects are usually mild."Murokora says the cervical cancer vaccine is not intendedto replace pap tests. "Routine screening for cervicalcancer through regular pelvic exams and pap testsremains an essential part of a woman's preventivehealthcare."Dr. Olive Ssentumbwe from the World HealthOrganisation, says to detect cervical cancer in the earlieststages, one should have regular pelvic exams and paptests."Seek prompt medical attention if you notice any signs orsymptoms of cervical cancer - vaginal bleeding after sex,between periods or after menopause; foul-smellingwatery or bloody vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, or painduring sex."The cervical cancer vaccine also blocks HPV types 6 and11, which are not associated with cervical cancer, but areassociated with genital warts and mild pap testabnormalities.Cervical cancer affects an estimated 490,000 womenworldwide each year and leads to more than 270,000deathsAbout 85% of women who die from cervical cancerreside in developing countriesIf current trends continue, by 2050 there will be over onemillion new cases annually.Cervical cancer can be prevented if precancerous lesionsare identified and treated earlyMost women in the developing world do not have accessto screening and treatment programmes, making routinevaccination an important disease control strategyNew vaccines are safe and effective in preventing HPVand type-specific cervical lesions.http://allafrica.com/stories/200904210272.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Africa: Continent's FirstLadies Lead the Way forCervical Cancer AwarenessLungi Langa29 July 2009Health-eAfrican first ladies have vowed to raise awareness oncervical cancer, one of the leading causes of death amongwomen on the continent.Taking the lead, Tobeka Madiba-Zuma, one of SouthAfrica's first ladies appealed to everyone attending the3rd Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa conference in CapeTown to join her in paying tribute to millions of womenwho lost their lives to the illness."A healthy nation consist of a healthy working class andwomen are very important part our economy", she said.Madiba-Zuma said she hoped to use her position toadvocate for more attention to be paid to breast andcervical cancer.The focus of this year's conference was on improvingcervical cancer prevention through vaccination, precancerscreening and treatment.Delivering the keynote address at the conference DrMolefi Sefularo, Deputy Minister of Health revealed thatthe National Department of Health was consideringmaking available two cervical cancer vaccines in thepublic sector."We still need to do a cost-benefit analysis and decidewhich of the two vaccines would be more beneficial tothe country," he added.Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health said hisdepartment hopes to introduce education to learners abouthuman papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer.He stressed the department's commitment to acquiringnecessary resources for making the cervical cancervaccine available."We acknowledge that we need to strengthen our cancercontrol program," said Motsoaledi.He said the department planned to conduct a thoroughreview of the National Cancer Control Programme beforethe end of this year.Motsoaledi said the cancer guidelines marked thefoundation for the country's cervical cancer screeningprogramme. However Motsoaledi sited implementationas the greatest challenge.Continued on page 19-7- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 8 – Vaccination designed to SterilseWomenfrequency of autistic children increases clearly with theamount of Mercury consumed. And there are othereffects of this additive which is called “thiomesol”-such as diabetes.So, any vaccine containing Mercury, is adefertilization drug. That means almost all vaccinesalmost all over the world.We get another clue by studying simple facts on HIVand AIDS. As shown in many papers anddocumentaries, the existence of a virus destroying ourimmune system has never been documented. To thisday it remains a rumour having obsessed most of themedical world and, by being backed up by deeplycorrupt state medical authorities, a fully controlledpolitical layer and a centralized media network lovingthe "scary setup", it has also obsessed most commonpeople.The facts are that as well as there is no disease-causingHIV virus, there is no test which can prove it'spresence in human blood. The so-called HIV-tests testthe presence of antibodies and antibodies belong in afunctioning immune system. The tests are known tocross react with many conditions having nothing to dowith any particular virus. One of these conditions isyou better sit down pregnancy.That's where the AIDS swindle becomes adepopulation tool. For the next step from a positiveHIV test is prescription of deadly toxic drugs(charmingly named "Life Prolonging Medication")destroying the immune system and the intestine'sability to absorb nutrients - and causing defectivechildren. These drugs are the most toxic chemicalsever invented by the pharmaceutical industry.In Africa, HIV tests are only performed in pregnancyclinics. And guess where the deadly drugs go.Another clue becomes clear when we look at the WHOvaccination campaigns in the Third World. Mostfamous are the campaigns from the mid ninetiesagainst Tetanus. Despite the fact that 70% of allTetanus occurred in men, the vaccinations were onlygiven to women. And only women between 14 and 44years old. The vaccines were mixed with hCGGonadotropine. Now, hCG is a hormone which isnaturally formed in the foetus within the first few days,and which is necessary for it's continued life andgrowth. When the mixture of vaccine and hCG isinoculated in a woman's blood, her immune defencewill not only produce antibodies to the Tetanusbacteria but also to the hCG. As a result, she looses herfoetus. These vaccination campaigns were performed onmillions and millions of women in Nicaragua, Mexico,Nigeria, Tanzania and the Philippines.Other vaccination campaigns have had other effects. InUganda, a polio vaccination was performed, killing 600children in just one month and just one village (Mbarara) -in which there was by coincidence a counting. In Nigeria,polio vaccine was distributed, contaminated with estradioland a number of carcinogen (cancer-generating) agents.How many more of these criminal campaigns have beenperformed through the years?Then we have the bogus on the Malaria vaccine. Malaria isno microbe disease, so what has a vaccine to do with this?Nothing. But the funny scientist came up with a funny storyon a "certain molecule" being necessary for the Malariaparasite to fix on the inside of women's uterus. It's themolecule the vaccine is supposed to target. But only inwomen.The average age of women getting Cervical Cancer is 50as Dr. Tim O'Shea writes in his excellent article "HPV -The First Cancer Vaccine" on Rense.com(http://www.rense.com/general78/hpv.htm). The creator ofthe HPV vaccine, company Merck, promises an effect-timeof five years. So, what the point of vaccinating 12 years oldgirls?I have no doubt anymore: This has nothing to do withmedicine. It has nothing to do with anything based onscience. It has nothing to do with diseases. It is a moneymachine, yes, but it is more. We have another war, and thiswar is moving from covert to overt. We have a global waron women. -------Heising is a Danish Men's activist. He can be reached atkjeld@heising.dkhttp://www.rense.com/general79/vaxcc.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 2 - Two Thousand Schoolgirlssuffer Suspected Ill-effects from Cervical CancerVaccineHe said: "The UK medicines safety agency has reviewed allreported adverse events relevant to Cervarix and there is noevidence to suggest that the vaccine carries any long-termside effects."The symptoms this girl has experienced are clearlyupsetting and it is understandable that the girl and herparents want to uncover the cause."http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6178045/Twothousand-schoolgirls-suffer-suspected-ill-effects-from-cervicalcancer-vaccine.html☻☻☻☻☻☻-9- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 5– US Report shows that Gardasilinvolved in Higher Rates of Adverse Effects- Compared to Menactra, receipt of Gardasil is associatedwith all of the reports of Blood Clots. All 23 reports ofBlood Clots following Gardasil occurred when Gardasilwas given alone without any other vaccines.- Compared to Menactra, receipt of Gardasil is associatedwith at least 4 times as many Cardiac Arrest reports. All 9reports of Cardiac Arrest following Gardasil occurredwhen Gardasil was given alone without any othervaccines.- Compared to Menactra, receipt of Gardasil is associatedwith at least 15 times as many Stroke reports. 16 reports ofStroke following Gardasil occurred when Gardasil wasgiven alone.And here is the basic summary from that report:A rough analysis of adverse events reported to VAERSfollowing receipt of Gardasil and/or Menactra vaccinesthrough November 30, 2008 indicate that Gardasil isinvolved in a much higher number of serious adverse healthevents than Menactra.Although Gardasil is given in a three-shot series and onlyone dose of Menactra is given, Menactra is given to bothboys and girls while Gardasil is given only to girls. It isunusual for there to be such a big discrepancy between twovaccines used in similar populations involving serious andrelatively rare life threatening adverse events andautoimmune disorders such as death, blood clots, cardiacarrest, lupus, thrombosis, stroke, and vasculitis.Fainting, which has been attributed by doctors and healthofficials as “fear” of needles in teenage girls is reported sixtimes as often (and Syncope is reported three times asoften) after receipt of Gardasil than Menactra even thoughMenactra is also given to girls in the same age group.In pre-licensure clinical trials, Gardasil was only tested infewer than 1200 girls 16 years and younger.Through November 30, 2008, in girls 16 or younger, therewere reports of 9 deaths; 3 blood clots; 4 cardiac arrests; 9cases of lupus; 6 strokes; and 2 cases of vasculitisdeveloping after receipt of Gardasil.The report makes the following recommendations:1. The FDA should further investigate reports of serioushealth problems and deaths following Gardasil vaccination;review the accuracy of information about adverse eventscontained in product manufacturer inserts; and informphysicians and parents about all serious health problemsthat have been reported to VAERS after Gardasilvaccination2. The CDC should re-investigate VAERS reports ofserious health problems and deaths after Gardasilvaccination; consider the need to withdraw therecommendation that all girls between the ages of 9 and26 should receive Gardasil vaccine; and issue awarning that, when a serious adverse event occurs afterGardasil vaccination, no further Gardasil shots shouldbe given3. Physicians in the fields of pediatrics andobstetrics/gynecology should fully inform patients andparents about all reported Gardasil adverse events andrefrain from re-vaccinating those who experienceserious health problems following Gardasil vaccination4. Merck and the NIH should separately conductstudies into the biological mechanisms for Gardasilvaccine injury and death and define them for physiciansand the public so:(a) biological high risk factors can be identified tofacilitate informed medical decision making;(b) pathological profiles can be developed to confirmGardasil-induced brain and immune system dysfunctionand death;(c) healing therapies to moderate Gardasil-inducedbrain and immune system dysfunction can bedeveloped; and (d) Merck can improve the safety ofGardasil5. Congress should investigate the fast-tracking ofGardasil vaccine without adequate long-term safetystudies in American pre-adolescent and teenage girlsbetween ages 9 and16 and the safety and effectivenessof Gardasil vaccine in all age groups.So far I have seen nothing reported in the NZ mediaabout this new report – yet I would have thought that itwould have been something that NZ parents should bemade aware of.You can read the full report herehttp://familylifenz.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/new-usreport-shows-that-gardasil-involved-in-far-higher-rates-ofadverse-effects-than-meningococcal-vaccine/☻☻☻☻☻☻-10- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

CDC: 1 in 3 Teen Girls gotCervical Cancer VaccineRates highest in Rhode Island, N.H.; lowest in Miss.,Ga. and S.C.The Associated PressSeptember 17, 2009ATLANTA - A new government report shows one inthree teenage girls have rolled up their sleeves for arelatively new vaccine against cervical cancer, butvaccination rates vary dramatically between states.The highest rates were in Rhode Island and NewHampshire, where more than half of girls ages 13 through17 got at least one dose of three-shot vaccination. Thelowest rates were in Mississippi, Georgia and SouthCarolina.The federal report is the first to give state-by-state ratesfor the Gardasil vaccine that targets the sexuallytransmitted human papillomavirus. The report wasreleased Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32896258/ns/us_news/☻☻☻☻☻☻New Shot blocks CervicalCancer Virus, FDA saysIf approved in U.S., Cervarix will compete withGardasil for HPV protectionThe Associated PressSeptember 4, 2009WASHINGTON - A vaccine from GlaxoSmithKlineblocks the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer,the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.In documents posted online, the FDA said Cervarix,Glaxo's vaccine against human papilloma virus or HPV,blocked the two most cancerous strains of the virusnearly 93 percent of the time.The main study of the vaccine enrolled more than 18,000women who either received Cervarix or a shamtreatment. The FDA said the vaccine appears to fight theHPV virus for more than six years, based on companydata. Side effects were minor, such as pain and swellingat the injection site.The agency will ask a panel of vaccine experts next weekwhether Cervarix should be approved for girls andwomen ages 10 to 25. The FDA is not required to followthe group's advice, although it usually does.A positive review from the agency would clear the Britishdrug maker's vaccine to compete in the United States, but itcould face an uphill battle against Merck's blockbustervaccine Gardasil, which has been on the market here since2006.Besides having a three-year head start, Gardasil alsodefends against two more HPV types that cause 90 percentof genital warts, which Cervarix does not target.Cervarix already is approved in nearly 100 other countries,but has been delayed in the United States since 2007, whenthe FDA said it needed additional data.Earlier studies of Cervarix showed a higher number ofmuscular and neurological problems among patients whoused the vaccine compared with the alternate treatment.The FDA said Friday it asked outside experts to examinemore recent data from the company to see if Cervarix couldhave caused those problems."The conclusion in the case of each of these efforts was thatthe data are not sufficient to establish a link," the agencysaid in its review.The FDA said it would ask Glaxo to report any continuingproblems in a follow-up study planned for after thevaccine's launch.Each year about 6 million people in the United Statescontract HPV, which usually causes no symptoms andclears up by itself. While there are about 40 strains of thevirus that are spread through sexual contact, only about 15cause cancer in men and women.Last year nearly 4,000 women died of cervical cancer in theUnited States.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32693872/ns/healthsexual_health/☻☻☻☻☻☻Merck’s Gardasil Worksagainst Genital Warts inMales, FDA SaysBy Robert T. GreeneSept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Merck & Co.’s Gardasil was foundto prevent genital warts in males, a staff report from theU.S. Food and Drug Administration found.The agency released its review today in advance of ameeting next week on whether to recommend expanded useof the product, now approved in women.http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aqql6wwEGG0o#☻☻☻☻☻☻-11- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Teenage Girl left Braindamagedafter receivingCervical Cancer JabBy Daily Mail Reporter5 October 2009Daily MailA teenage girl has been left brain-damaged aftersuffering epileptic seizures just days after being giventhe controversial cervical cancer jab.Stacey Jones, 18, suffered her first seizure in Marchwhen she was 17, days after she had the Cervarixinjection.In the following weeks she had several more fits,causing such severe brain injury that she had to beadmitted to a rehabilitation unit, where she is relearningsimple tasks.According to the Sunday Telegraph, the parents of theteenager, from Bilston in the West Midlands, areconvinced that the vaccination caused swelling in thebrain.The swelling has been diagnosed as the cause ofStacey's neurological problems.Mother, Julie Jones, 44, told the newspaper: 'She wassuch a lovely, happy-go-lucky girl, now she is just ashell. 'I really feel she has been used as a guinea pig.'I don't think there is enough evidence that thevaccination programme is safe - this all happened daysafter Stacey was given the vaccine, and we don't haveany other explanation for what triggered her braininjury.' Amid growing concern among parents about thesafety of the jab, drug manufacturers insist that there isno evidence to suggest that the vaccine carries anylong- term side effects.The post-mortem on 14-year-old schoolgirl NatalieMorton who died hours after having the jab found thatthe girl had died from a malignant tumour on her chestThis would suggest that the timing of Stacey's seizuresis mere coincidence rather than being linked to thevaccine.The post-mortem on 14-year-old Coventry schoolgirlNatalie Morton who died hours after having the jabfound this week that the girl had died from a malignanttumour on her chest.However, a leading expert who helped develop thecancer jab today told the Sunday Express that thevaccine may be riskier and more deadly than the cancerit aims to prevent.The doctor also claimed the jab would do nothing to lowerthe rates of cervical cancer in the UK.Dr Diane Harper, who was involved in the clinical trials ofCervarix said the vaccine was being 'over-marketed' andparents should be warned about possible side effects.Dr Harper, of the University of Missouri-Kansas told thenewspaper she believed the risks were 'small but real'.She said: 'All this jab will do is prevent girls getting someabnormalities associated with cervical cancer which can betreated.'It will not decrease cervical cancer rates at all.'Parents need to know this and that in a small number ofcases there are serious side effects.'-12- Traditional African Clinic November 2009www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218030/Teenage-girl-leftbrain-damaged-receiving-cervical-cancer-jab.html☻☻☻☻☻☻FDA approves Glaxo'sCervical Cancer VaccineCervarix will be available in the U.S. and will competeagainst GardasilThe Associated PressOctober 16, 2009WASHINGTON - British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKlinesaid Friday U.S. regulators approved its vaccine Cervarix toprevent the leading cause of cervical cancer in women.The approval from the Food and Drug Administrationallows Glaxo to compete against Merck's blockbustervaccine Gardasil, which has been on the market here since2006.London-based Glaxo said it expects to launch the vaccinelate this year.Cervarix already is approved in nearly 100 other countries,but had been delayed in the U.S. since 2007, when the FDArequested additional data from the company.The vaccine blocks human papilloma virus strains 16 and18, the two types of HPV that cause 75 percent of cervicalcancers. Additionally, Glaxo said the vaccine is also highlyeffective against strain 31, which is the third most commonHPV type that causes cancer.There are more than 100 types of HPV, though about 15 areknown to cause cervical cancer.Cervarix's effectiveness against extra strains of the viruscould help differentiate it from Merck's Gardasil, whichContinued on page 14

HPV Vaccination of MalesNot Cost-EffectiveZosia ChusteckaOctober 12, 2009 — Vaccinating boys against humanpapillomavirus (HPV) in addition to girls is not likelyto be cost-effective, conclude a new analysis and anaccompanying editorial published online October 8 inthe British Medical Journal.Vaccination of girls is already underway in manycountries to protect against cervical cancer. Around70% of cervical cancer is caused by HPV types 16 and18, and 2 vaccines protect against these: Gardasil(Merck & Co) and Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline).Previous studies that have consistently shown that HPVvaccination of preadolescent (12-year-old) girls is costeffective,and the new analysis agrees, note the authors,Jane Kim, PhD, and Sue Goldie, MD, MPH, from theDepartment of Health Policy and Management at theCenter for Health Decision Science at the HarvardSchool of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.Vaccination of boys has been proposed to protectagainst genital warts. Around 90% of genital warts arecaused by HPV types 6 and 11, and only Gardasiloffers protection against these. There is also anargument that vaccinating boys will improve "herdimmunity."In the United States, this use of Gardasil — i.e.,vaccinating boys to protect against genital warts — wasrecently recommended for approval by a US Food andDrug Administration Advisory Committee, as reportedby Medscape Oncology.However, the new analysis concludes that "includingboys in an HPV vaccination program is unlikely toprovide good value for resources, compared withvaccinating girls only."Not Cost-Effective Under Any ScenarioThe researchers used a disease-simulation model toprocess epidemiologic, clinical, and economic datafrom the United States. By inputting different sets ofdata into the model, they could envisage variousdifferent scenarios, such as the high and low uptake ofthe vaccine and shorter and longer duration of vaccineprotection.A similar conclusion was reached by 2 other costeffectivenessanalyses, by not a by third. The study thatdrew contrasting conclusions was supported by Merck& Co (Emerg Infect Dis 2007;13:28-41), manufacturerof Gardasil, notes an accompanying editorial.The editorial was authored by Philip Castle, PhD, MPH,from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Geneticsat the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland,and Isabel Scarinci, PhD, from the Division ofPreventive Medicine at the University of Alabama inBirmingham."Only under the most favorable assumptions for thebenefits of adding male HPV vaccination to femalevaccination did the cost fall below $100,000 per QALY[quality of life-year], the threshold below which anintervention is considered a good economic investment,"the editorialist explain.Under no scenario did the cost of including males inHPV vaccination programs fall below $50,000 perQALY, which is perhaps a "more fiscally responsiblethreshold, given the need to lower healthcare costs andincrease efficiency," they add."By comparison, HPV vaccination of 12-year-old girlswas always a good health investment," whatever themodeling, the editorial notes.Good coverage of females obviates the need tovaccinate boys."Models used to generate cost-effectiveness projectionshave limitations imposed by the uncertainties about thecourse of HPV-related disease," the editorialists write."Nevertheless, the relative benefits of HPV vaccinationof females, compared with vaccination of both sexes, isunlikely to differ greatly with fine tuning of the models,and the health implications are clear — good coverage offemales obviates the need to vaccinate boys."The editorialists make one other point. The majority ofcervical cancer (>80%) occurs in developing countriesand in areas of low resources, which cannot afford oraccess HPV vaccines. "Targeting young women in thesepopulations for HPV vaccination and screening olderwomen would have a bigger effect on reducing theburden of cervical cancer than widespread vaccination ofyoung men from resource-rich areas," they state.The authors and editorialists have disclosed no relevantfinancial relationships.BMJ.2009;339:b3884, b4127. Abstract, Abstract.http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/710362?sssdmh=dm1.542293&src=nldne&uac=124305PR☻☻☻☻☻☻-13- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Fighting Cervical CancerKikonyogo NgatyaKampalaOctober 19, 2009The country’s health infrastructure is overwhelmed bythe number of women seeking cervical cancer tests, agynecology seminar heard in Kampala on Friday.If detected early, both conditions can be treated, butexperts said although many women report early to healthfacilities with abdominal pains, most medical officerstreat them with antibiotics, because they are not able toidentify the problem.The experts also heard that by the time patients go toreferral hospitals, the cases are in advanced stages andlife threatening.“Many NGOs have sensitised women on the need fortests, but most of the cases are poorly-handled. Somemedical staff confuse them with Sexually Transmittedinfections,” Dr Judith Ajeani from Mulago Hospital said.She said there is need to train, equip and create drylaboratories in teaching hospitals and universities to trainmedical students and orient those in service on detectingand treating cervical cancer conditions.The seminar was jointly organised by the Aga KhanUniversity Hospital-Nairobi and the Association ofUganda Obstetrics and Gynecology.Over 70 experts shared experiences and devised means toscale up interventions.http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/news/Fighting_cervical_cancer_93203.shtml☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 12 - FDA Approves Glaxo’sCervical Cancer Vaccinealso protects against HPV 16 and 18, but not othercancerous strains.Still, Glaxo is likely to face an uphill battle in the U.S.Besides an established brand, Merck's vaccine alsodefends against two other HPV types that cause 90percent of genital warts, which Cervarix does not target.Gardasil became an early success story for Merck after its2006 launch, achieving sales that are rare for a vaccine.The Whitehouse Station, N.J., company has sold about 50million doses worldwide, with more than $1.4 billion inrevenue last year.But sales have been slowing amid questions about thelongevity of the vaccine's effect and its price tag of nearly$400. Glaxo has not yet discussed pricing for its vaccine.Side effects with Cervarix were mostly mild, including painand swelling at the injection site, fatigue and headache.HPV infects about 6 million people in the U.S. each year, andis spread mainly through sexual contact. It usually causes nosymptoms and goes away within two years, although rarecases can develop into warts and cancer in both men andwomen.Last year, nearly 4,000 women died of cervical cancer in theU.S., less than 1 percent of all deaths from cancer.U.S.-listed shares of GlaxoSmithKline PLC fell 14 cents to$41.14 in afternoon trading.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33347814/ns/health/☻☻☻☻☻☻Gardasil Researcher Drops ABombshellHarper: Controversal Drug Will Do Little To ReduceCervical Cancer RatesBy Susan BrinkmannOctober 25, 2009The BulletinDr. Diane Harper, lead researcher in the development of twohuman papilloma virus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, saidthe controversial drugs will do little to reduce cervical cancerrates and, even though they’re being recommended for girlsas young as nine, there have been no efficacy trials inchildren under the age of 15.Dr. Harper, director of the Gynecologic Cancer PreventionResearch Group at the University of Missouri, made theseremarks during an address at the 4th International PublicConference on Vaccination which took place in Reston,Virginia on Oct. 2-4. Although her talk was intended topromote the vaccine, participants said they came awayconvinced the vaccine should not be received.“I came away from the talk with the perception that the riskof adverse side effects is so much greater than the risk ofcervical cancer, I couldn’t help but question why we need thevaccine at all,” said Joan Robinson, Assistant Editor at thePopulation Research Institute.Dr. Harper began her remarks by explaining that 70 percentof all HPV infections resolve themselves without treatmentwithin a year. Within two years, the number climbs to 90percent. Of the remaining 10 percent of HPV infections, onlyhalf will develop into cervical cancer, which leaves little needfor the vaccine.Continued on page 22-14- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 10 NEWSLETTER November 2009FEATURED ARTICLESCervical Cancer Strikes Poor Women HardestMiriam MannakIPS, November 15, 2009Cape Town — Of the 490,000 women worldwide whoare diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, 80percent live in the developing world. Every year,55,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa alone developthis disease, which is ten times more likely to affectwomen living with HIV."Before the era of ARVs, we didn't see these womenbecause they died from AIDS-related illnesses," saidLinda Gail-Bekker, of the Institute of InfectiousDisease and Molecular Medicine at the Desmond TutuHIV Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. "Today wesee more and more women who are HIV positive andhave the other disease."According to Gail-Bekker, the compromised immunesystems of people living with HIV make their bodiesmore receptive to the human papillomavirus (HPV).This sexually-transmitted virus, particularly twovariants known as strains 16 and 18, is the mostcommon cause of cervical cancer.When a person is infected with HPV, the virus overtime modifies the cells of the cervix and this could leadto cancer if left untreated.An HPV infection is diagnosed through a pap smear, amedical procedure during which cells are scraped fromthe outer layer of the cervix, and examined under amicroscope for changes.There are three stages to an HPV infection. It variesfrom woman to woman how fast HPV moves fromstage one to stage three, which is the first phase ofcancer. Some women have the virus without symptomsfor years before cancer develops.There are various treatments for HPV. These includefreezing the abnormal cells with liquid nitrogen andremoving them, or destroying them with a painlesselectrical current. "The sooner a woman is treated, thebetter," said Gail-Bekker.Unfortunately, screening for cervical cancer in manyparts of the world is inadequate, especially in develop-ing countries. South Africa, a country with one of theworld's highest HIV rates, is no exception."We have found out that many women across SouthAfrica do not have access to pap smears," said NomfundoEland, manager of the National Women's RightCampaign run by the Treatment Action Campaign(TAC), one of South Africa's largest AIDS lobby groups."This is a problem, especially for HIV positive womenwho are more prone to develop cervical cancer," sheadded.In addition, treatment is not always immediatelyavailable, Eland explained. "There is often a waiting list.We have statements by women who told us that theycould only get treatment six months after their papsmears came out positive. This increases their chances ofdeveloping cervical cancer."Eland stated that many clinics in South Africa, especiallyin rural areas, are not equipped to deal with cervicalcancer properly: "In the Limpopo province, we havespoken to healthcare workers who do not have the meansto sterilise the equipment that is used to detect an HPVinfection."Gail-Bekker told IPS that lack of knowledge is one of themain obstacles in the fight against HPV and cervicalcancer. "There is little awareness. Everyone knows aboutHIV, but when you mention HPV, you get a lot of blankstares," she said.One way to prevent women in the developing world fromdying as a result of this preventable disease is betteraccess to one of the two HPV vaccines that are currentlydistributed by pharmaceutical companies Merck andGlaxoSmithKline.Comprising of three doses, both vaccines protect againstthe two most dangerous HPV strains. It is most effectiveto vaccinate women - and men - before their sexualdebut, before an infection can take place."Yes, boys too," said Gai-Bekker. "Although menContinued on page 16-15- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 16 – Uganda: Nation Moves a StepFurther in Fight against Cervical Cancerwhile over 40% of radiotherapy patients have advancedcervical cancer. Murokora says services for cervicalcancer prevention are limited."Opportunistic screening in the majority of hospitals isless than 5%. There is also limited knowledge and skillsamong the health providers to screen and avoid thecancer." Murokora says lack of awareness that cervicalcancer is a preventable is one of the major reason it isrising.http://allafrica.com/stories/200908170737.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Nigeria: New Vaccine forPrevention of CervicalCancerFlorence Udoh22 October 2009Daily ChampionMEDICAL scientists have discovered a four-in-onevaccine-gardasil-for the prevention and control ofcervical cancer in Nigeria, which is the only quadrivalentHuman Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine in the world thathas shown the ability of preventing four serotypes ofCervical Cancer causing viruses (HPV).Type 6, II, 16 and 18 serotypes of HPV are said to causecervical cancer, genital warts and about 10 per cent oflaw-grade cervical changes or dyplasias in women.According to Mr. Graca Machel, an advocate forwoman's health and the president of Foundation forCommunity Development (FCD) Lagos, cervical canceris a significant burden to the developing countries, addingthat World Health Organisation (WHO) pre-qualificationof an HPV vaccine signifies a move to help protect youngwomen and improve access to better healthcare,particularly in the poorest countries.He said: "HPV is estimated to cause about half a millionnew cervical cancer cases every year, with majorityaffecting women in developing countries. For mostwomen, HPV goes away on its own, however, for somecertain high-risk types of HPV, if unrecognized anduntreated, can lead to cervical cancer."Dr. Kin Egwuonwu, the national coordinator, NationalCervical Cancer Prevention Programme (NCCPP), whoconfirmed the NAFDAC approval of the vaccine saidcervical cancer is most common gynaecological cancerworldwide and commonest cause of cancer-related deathsin women."The approval of gardasil by NAFDAC is an opportunityfor Nigerians to save the lives of mothers, sisters, friendsamong others. I am happy to see this happen in Nigeria.At least, thousands of lives will be saved.Eighty three per cent of cervical cancer cases, he said;occur in developing countries, where, in many regions, itis the most common cancer among women. The vaccinewill go a long way in reducing the number of women thatare affected by the cervical cancer in Nigeria. If thewomen avail themselves to this new vaccine, lives lost tothis dreadful ailment would be saved.In the United States of America, he continued, gardasil iscurrently indicated for use in girls and young womenwithin nine through 26 years of age for the prevention ofcervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers caused by HPV types16 and 18; genital warts caused by HPV types 6 and 11,as well as pre-cancerous, or dysplastic lesions caused byHPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18.HPV types 16 and 18, he stated, are responsible forapproximately 70 per cent of cervical cancer.http://allafrica.com/stories/200910220142.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Cervical Cancer Vaccine TrialOnBy Anthony BugembeNew Vision (Kampala)15 July 2008UGANDAN women may soon stop worrying aboutcervical cancer. The Government is carrying out a pilotstudy on a vaccine to prevent the infection."The health ministry and PATH, an international NGO,are carrying out a demonstration project to test differentvaccine delivery strategies in Ibanda and Nakasongoladistricts," said health state minister Richard Nduhuura."The information from the project will help theGovernment and other developing countries decidewhether and how to include the vaccine in national healthservices."Nduhuura was addressing journalists yesterday about thetwo-day 'Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa' conference,which will take place at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampalastarting July 21. The conference will be opened by FirstLady Janet Museveni.The two-year Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine pilotproject is targeting girls aged 10 because they are not yetsexually active. Cervical cancer is caused by HPV, asexually transmitted virus.Continued on page 18-17- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 17- Cervical Cancer Trial OnThe symptoms of cervical cancer are heavy bleeding, athick smelly vaginal discharge, pelvic pain and pain whenurinating. Multiple partners and engaging in early sexincrease the chances of contracting it.The HPV vaccine, with a potential of preventing up to80% of cervical cancer, is already approved for use inUganda. The vaccine costs about sh160,000 a dose.Three doses are needed to complete the vaccination. Likeother vaccines, HPV will be provided free of charge bythe Government.In Uganda, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancerdeaths among women.Princess Nikky Onyeri, the founder of the Princess NikkyBreast Cancer Foundation, said: "It is our hope that bythe end of the conference, there will be a roadmap forcervical cancer."We hope that the African first ladies will channel this tothe AU for policy implementation," she said.http://allafrica.com/stories/200807160317.html☻☻☻☻☻☻FDA approves Merck'sGardasil for BoysDrug is already approved to prevent cervical cancerin womenThe Associated PressOctober 16, 2009WASHINGTON - Drugmaker Merck said Friday thatU.S. regulators cleared its vaccine Gardasil to preventgenital warts in boys, a new use for a product alreadyapproved to prevent cervical cancer in women.The Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based company said theFood and Drug Administration approved Gardasil for usein boys ages 9 through 26.Gardasil already is approved in women to block fourstrains of the human papilloma virus that cause themajority of cervical cancers and genital warts. Merck hassold about 50 million doses worldwide, with more than$1.4 billion in revenue last year.While the approval could theoretically double the marketfor Merck's vaccine, analysts do not expect Gardasil to bewidely used in boys.Genital warts caused by HPV usually clear up bythemselves, and the cancers caused by the virus areextremely rare in men.Friday's announcement came just hours after rivalGlaxoSmithKline reported that the FDA approved itsvaccine Cervarix for use in the U.S. The vaccine alreadywas available in Europe and elsewhere.Glaxo is likely to face an uphill battle to establish itself inthe U.S., where Gardasil has dominated the market since2006. Besides an established brand, Merck's vaccinedefends against HPV types that cause both cancer andgenital warts. Whereas Cervarix does not target genitalwarts.HPV infects about 6 million people in the U.S. each year,mainly through sexual contact. It usually causes nosymptoms although rare cases can develop into warts andcancer in both men and women.Gardasil became an early success story for Merck after its2006 launch, achieving blockbuster sales that are rare fora vaccine.But sales have been slowing amid questions about thelongevity of the vaccine's effect and its price tag of nearly$400.Merck has tracked HPV immunity out to five years inwomen, and just three years in boys and men. Publichealth advocates have argued that Merck should havebeen required to show evidence of Gardasil's long-termeffectiveness.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33347708/ns/healthkids_and_parenting/☻☻☻☻☻☻Oral Sex Linked to ThroatCancerBBC NEWSMay 10. 2007A virus contracted through oral sex is the cause of somethroat cancers, say US scientists.HPV infection was found to be a much stronger riskfactor than tobacco or alcohol use, the Johns HopkinsUniversity study of 300 people found.The New England Journal of Medicine study said the riskwas almost nine times higher for people who reportedoral sex with more than six partners.But experts said a larger study was needed to confirm thefindings.HPV infection is the cause of the majority of cervicalcancers, and 80% of sexually active women can expect tohave an HPV infection at some point in their lives.“It is important for health care providers to know thatContinued in page 19-18- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 18 –Oral Sex Linked to Throat Cancerpeople without the traditional risk factors of tobacco andalcohol use can nevertheless be at risk of oropharyngealcancer,” Dr Gypsyamber D'Souza, study author.The Johns Hopkins study took blood and saliva from 100men and women newly diagnosed with oropharyngealcancer which affects the throat, tonsils and back of thetongue.They also asked questions about sex practices and otherrisk factors for the disease, such as family history. Thosewho had evidence of prior oral HPV infection had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.HPV16 - one of the most common cancer-causing strainsof the virus - was present in the tumours of 72% of cancerpatients in the study.Risk factorsThere was no added risk for people infected with HPVwho also smoked and drank alcohol, suggesting the virusitself is driving the risk of the cancer.Oral sex was said to be the main mode of transmission ofHPV but the researchers said mouth-to-mouthtransmission, for example through kissing, could not beruled out.Most HPV infections clear with little or no symptoms buta small percentage of people who acquired high-riskstrains may develop a cancer, the researchers added.Study author Dr Gypsyamber D'Souza said: "It isimportant for health care providers to know that peoplewithout the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcoholuse can nevertheless be at risk of oropharyngeal cancer."Co-researcher Dr Maura Gillison said previous researchby the team had suggested there was a strong link.But she added: "People should be reassured thatoropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon and theoverwhelming majority of people with an oral HPVinfection probably will not get throat cancer."A vaccine which protects against cervical cancer causedby HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18, and also against genitalwarts is available and the researchers said the studyprovided a rationale for vaccinating both girls and boys.But whether the vaccine would protect against oral HPVinfection is not yet known.Dr Julie Sharp, science information officer at CancerResearch UK, said: "There is conflicting evidence aboutthe role of HPV, and this rare type of mouth cancer."As this was a small study, further research is needed toconfirm these observations.""We know that after age, the main causes of mouthcancer are smoking or chewing tobacco or betel nut, anddrinking too much alcohol."http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-2/hi/health/6639461.stm☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 7 – Africa: Continent’s FirstLadies Lead the Way for Cervical CancerAwarenessHe said that the health department established a CervicalCancer task team comprising of academics, researchersexpert clinicians as well as National Health LaboratoryServices personnel to provide the Department withguidance.He revealed that misconceptions regarding cervicalcancer which existed especially among rural residentswere some of the challenges facing government ineradicating cervical cancer.Madiba-Zuma highlighted the need to scale up theaccessibility of pap smears in rural areas.Founder and Executive Director of the Princess NikkyBreast Cancer Foundation Princess Nikky Onyeriwelcomed support from the South African government."Only through partnerships can we ensure wideavailability of the vaccines. It is in our power to savecountless lives," she said.She took up the fight against cancer after beingmisdiagnosed with breast cancer 16 years ago. Since thenshe has taken it upon herself to engage communities andleaders about cervical and breast cancer.http://allafrica.com/stories/200907290555.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Kenya: Cervical CancerCases on the Rise in CountryAbyssinia Lati12 May 2008Business DailyAgatha Mwajuma's life has been a war and her latestbattle left her traumatised and feeling isolated. It allbegan in 2006 when she went for her routine pap smearas recommended for a HIV-positive woman. Unlikenegative women who should take the test once a year, shehas to take it every six months."I was told that there were some changes in the cells, butthe doctor was not sure if they were cancerous so he putme on antibiotics for two weeks," she says.Continued on page 23-19- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 10 NEWSLETTER November 2009FEATURED ARTICLESHPV – The First Cancer VaccineDr. O’Shea6 October 2007It was inevitable. In the post 9/11 marketing frenzyquesting for more and more bugs and diseases to makevaccines against, what could be a more promisingcandidate than the second highest cause of death in theUS?Cancer of the cervix has been on a gradual upswingduring the past 3 decades, now affecting some 13,000American women, 4,000 of whom die. In the 1970s,herpes simplex virus was proposed as a possible cause,but that hypothesis was soon abandoned afterepidemiological studies proved inconclusive. In the 1980sthe next candidate suggested as the missing link washuman papilloma virus. [345]Before we continue, a word about epidemiologicalstudies. Epidemiological studies, also called populationstudies, are the poor cousin of true clinical trials. They arenot controlled studies done under set scientific conditions,but rather attempts at verifying a hypothesis just bycounting the incidence of a certain disease or conditionwithin a certain population. The problem is that resultsfrom epidemiological studies are subject to widespreadinterpretation, depending on who's doing the counting,who decides the criteria for what gets counted, whopublishes the results, etc. For this reason, epidemiologicalstudies can be used to "prove" two completely divergenthypotheses.In the exploding vaccine industry today, epidemiologicalstudies are quickly becoming the standard to validate ourneed for more vaccines, because they're faster, cheaper,and capable of supporting practically any requiredoutcome.So, once herpes was ruled impossible, the new populationstudies then proposed human papilloma virus as a cause ofcervical cancer. The first problem is that there are over100 strains of HPV, only 30 of which are eventheoretically linked with cervical cancer. [344] Inaddition, HPV is present in at least half the normalpopulation, [345] almost never causing any disease orproblems whatsoever. Indeed, HPV has never been-20- Traditional African Clinic November 2009proven as a pathogen for any disease.HPV AND CANCERNow in any cancer, we're talking about a normal cellthat mutated and then began to make copies of itself,unchecked.The creators of the HVP/ cancer myth are pretendingthat the HPV came along and attacked some normalcells and mutated those cells and caused them to beginreplicating themselves out of control - cancer. And thatthis is happening on a mass scale even though we justdiscovered it. And worse, that a vaccine can neutralizethat type of attack on normal cervix cells.Scientifically, what they're proposing is ludicrous.Few scientists have a better grasp of the proposedvirus/cancer model than Berkeley's Peter DuesbergPhD. In his scholarly paper tracing the history of theHPV/ cervical cancer story, Duesberg explains whyHPV is such an unlikely cause of any cancer:"No set of viral genes is consistently present orexpressed in human cervical cancers. [345] S HPV doesnot replicate in the cancer cells. "So if the mutated cervical cancer cells are not mutatingbecause of abnormal viral genes being spliced into anormal cell, how else could HPV be causing thiscancer? Duesberg again:"the "hit-and-run" mechanism of viral carcinogenesiswas proposed. It holds that neither the complete [virus],nor even a part of it, needs to be present in the tumor.Obviously, this is an unfalsifiable, but also anunprovable, hypothesis. [345]All that has ever been shown is that HPV is sometimespresent in cervical cancer tissue, but as we know it'salso present in half the normal population.There is a total lack of evidence that cervical cancerappears in women with HPV more often than in womenwithout it. [345] And yet this will be the focus of theContinued on page 21

Continued from page 20 – HPV – The First Cancer Vaccinevaccine: to pretend to eliminate this ubiquitous virus fromthe body.THE NEW HPV VACCINEThe original phrase used by Merck to link HPV withcervical cancer was "there is a strong connection." ([260]p 1964)How that phrase got transformed to 'is the cause of' in thepast two years is more a matter of marketing than ofscience.The HPV vaccine had been in the Merck pipeline foryears, finally getting FDA approval in 2006. [4] Merck'sHPV vaccine is called Gardasil. It has no competition.What's in it? According to Merck's own data, the vaccineis made from "virus-like particles" from four strains ofHPV: Types 5, 11, 16, and 18. ([1] p 1984.) With noclinical studies proving it, Type 16 and 18 are now citedby Merck in the Physicians Desk Reference as the causeof "over 70%" of cervical cancer cases.The theory is that these virus-like particles will triggerthe body to make antibodies that will be able to preventthe full-on natural strains of HPV from getting a foothold.For five years, anyway. That's what Merck is claiming.The Merck insert for Gardasil makes this unproven flatstatement: "HPV causes squamous cell cervical cancer."We've already learned above that such is not the case.The market that Merck decided on was 12 year old girls,the thinking being that since HPV is sexuallytransmissible, might as well get it at the start.Now before we get too ebullient about this newest fad,let's consider objectively what we're being sold here.EXTRAVAGANT DEMANDS ON CREDIBILITYWith other vaccines for viral diseases, such as MMR,hepatitis B, and polio, what has never made sensescientifically is that the vaccines do not contain theoriginal wild virus that occurs in nature and supposedlycauses the disease. Instead the vaccine contains amanmade mutation of the natural virus, that is thenclaimed to be able to confer immunity by triggering thebody to produce antibodies to the original disease. So thatwas bad enough. But what they're asking us to believeabout HPV is going to far.All physiology and immunology textbooks describe thetriggering of immunoglobulin production as an extremelyspecific sequence, resulting in extremely specificantibodies. [149] They don't talk about cousins of virusesor particles from viruses able to trigger the precise anti-bodies to the virus itself. Such a claim is brand new.How could any real immunity come from vaccines likethese, even if the viruses were the causative agents ofdisease?The second enormous impediment to credibility is thatthe average age for cervical cancer is 50 years. (MerckManual p 1964 [260]) But the plan is to mandateGardasil to 12 years olds. And the manufacturer is onlyclaiming efficacy for 5 years. So using their ownstatistics, this makes the vaccine worthless in the longrun, because by the time most females need immunity,it will have worn off long ago.A risk factor in cervical cancer that has been clearlyestablished is the lifetime number of sexual partners:the more partners, the more likely the disease. ([260] p1964) So who has more, 12 year olds or 50 year olds?Even if the vaccine worked, statistically it should begiven to women in their mid 40s. Why don't they dothat? Here's the reason:The vaccine's "safety and efficacy not been evaluatedover 26 years of age. ([1] p 1987)Oh, OK. Well, guess we better give it to the young girlsthen.Are there any side effects of this new vaccine? Here aresome of those cited by the manufacturer:• Fever• Nausea• Pharyngitis• Dizziness• NVD• Upper respiratory infection• Gastroenteritis• Appendicitis• PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease)• BronchospasmPhysicians Desk Reference [1] p 1987Other side effects discovered later include loss ofconsciousness, 156 The Sanctity of Human Blood• Loss of vision and seizures. [ 3]There's a bargain - real side effects in return for unrealimmunity.Continued on page 22-21- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 21 – HPV – The First Cancer VaccineCARCINOGENICITYCan the vaccine itself cause cancer? That's a fairquestion - we're talking about a vaccine that they'reclaiming prevents cancer by imitating a pathogen thatitself causes cancer, right? So wouldn't we want to befairly secure that this vaccine wouldn't cause cancer?Here's what the manufacturer states:Gardasil .. "It has not been evaluated for carcinogenicityor impairment of fertility. ([1] p 1986 )That's great. They want to vaccinate all American 12 yearolds with a vaccine for cancer and they don't even knowfor sure whether or not it causes cancer, or makes therecipients infertile. Yeah, sign my kid up for that one.Curiously, the HPV vaccine is not recommended forpregnancy because of its effects on the fetus [1], butmenarche is no problem?THE TEXAS TWO-STEPThe HPV controversy sank to new levels with the Feb2007 decision by Texas Governor Rick Perry to "require"the HPV vaccine for all 12 year old girls in Texas. [2] Inan unprecedented unilateral move, with no input fromeither the state legislature or the Texas Medical Board,with no scientific credentials, Perry brashly made thissweeping invasion into the privileged area of parentalauthority, and then lamely tried to defend his position.Ignoring the utter lack of science behind the vaccine, withcomplete disregard for vaccine exemption laws that arefound in every state, and acting entirely outside the scopeof gubernatorial jurisdiction, Perry plays king.157 The Sanctity of Human BloodTHE LOVE OF MONEYPerry must have had the inside track; the vaccine wasquietly added to the Mandated Schedule just after Perry'sedict. That brought the number of vaccines for Americanschoolkids to an unprecedented 68.Even so, such unilateral imprudence and recklessdisregard for the normal operation of state government ina public official rings the Follow the Money bell.Gardasil is a 3 shot series at $360. [2] Perry's financialties to Merck are a matter of public record. [2]East Coasters might think, well what can you expect fromTexas. But 17 other states prepared to follow suit andinitiate similar mandates, even before it was added to theSchedule. [3]Projected profits from future HPV vaccine sales?"The vaccine is expected to reach $1 billion in sales nextyear, could make Gardasil, within five years, sales ofmore than $4 billion, according to Wall Streetanalysts." [4]FINAL QUESTIONAgain, the whole story of HPV vaccine is much moretwisted than we're representing here. The reader isinvited to follow up on the above cited sources. Neverbefore has such a calculated, systematicmisrepresentation of fact been attempted in which datais so obviously manipulated, issues so deliberatelyobscured, and financial interests so obsequiouslyserved.Reflecting on the section above, with the uncertaintyabout the safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccine, thecertainty of the side effects, the prodigious economicupside to global dissemination irrespective of itsscientific merits, the absence of long-term studies, andthe ludicrous "religious/ethical" media controversysmokescreen designed to distract us from theunderlying scientific issues, is this really a vaccine youwant to try out on your little girl?http://www.rense.com/general78/hpv.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 14 – Gardasil ResearcherDrops a BombshellShe went on to surprise the audience by stating that theincidence of cervical cancer in the U.S. is already solow that “even if we get the vaccine and continue PAPscreening, we will not lower the rate of cervical cancerin the US.”There will be no decrease in cervical cancer until atleast 70 percent of the population is vaccinated, andeven then, the decrease will be minimal.Apparently, conventional treatment and preventativemeasures are already cutting the cervical cancer rate byfour percent a year. At this rate, in 60 years, there willbe a 91.4 percent decline just with current treatment.Even if 70 percent of women get the shot and requiredboosters over the same time period, which is highlyunlikely, Harper says Gardasil still could not claim todo as much as traditional care is already doing.Dr. Harper, who also serves as a consultant to theWorld Health Organization, further undercut the casefor mass vaccination by saying that “four out of fivewomen with cervical cancer are in developingcountries.”Ms. Robinson said she could not help but wonder, “Ifthis is the case, then why vaccinate at all? But from themurmurs of the doctors in the audience, it was apparentthat the same thought was occurring to them.”Continued on page 23-22- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 22 - Gardasil Researcher Drops aBombshellHowever, at this point, Dr. Harper dropped an evenbigger bombshell on the audience when she announcedthat, “There have been no efficacy trials in girls under 15years.”Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, studied only a smallgroup of girls under 16 who had been vaccinated, but didnot follow them long enough to conclude sufficientpresence of effective HPV antibodies.This is not the first time Dr. Harper revealed the fact thatMerck never tested Gardasil for safety in young girls.During a 2007 interview with KPC News.com, she saidgiving the vaccine to girls as young as 11 years-old “is agreat big public health experiment.”At the time, which was at the height of Merck’scontroversial drive to have the vaccine mandated inschools, Dr. Harper remained steadfastly opposed to theidea and said she had been trying for months to convincemajor television and print media about her concerns, “butno one will print it.”“It is silly to mandate vaccination of 11 to 12 year oldgirls,” she said at the time. “There also is not enoughevidence gathered on side effects to know that safety isnot an issue.”When asked why she was speaking out, she said: “I wantto be able to sleep with myself when I go to bed atnight.”Since the drug’s introduction in 2006, the public has beenlearning many of these facts the hard way. To date,15,037 girls have officially reported adverse side effectsfrom Gardasil to the Vaccine Adverse Event ReportingSystem (VAERS). These adverse reactions includeGuilliane Barre, lupus, seizures, paralysis, blood clots,brain inflammation and many others. The CDCacknowledges that there have been 44 reported deaths.Dr. Harper also participated in the research on Glaxo-Smith-Kline’s version of the drug, Cervarix, currently inuse in the UK but not yet approved here. Since thegovernment began administering the vaccine to schoolagedgirls last year, more than 2,000 patients reportedsome kind of adverse reaction including nausea,dizziness, blurred vision, convulsions, seizures andhyperventilation. Several reported multiple reactions,with 4,602 suspected side-effects recorded in total. Themost tragic case involved a 14 year-old girl who droppeddead in the corridor of her school an hour after receivingthe vaccination.The outspoken researcher also weighed in last month on areport published in the Journal of the American Medicalvaccine, saying bluntly: "The rate of serious adverseevents is greater than the incidence rate of cervicalcancer."Ms. Robinson said she respects Dr. Harper’s candor. “Ithink she’s a scientist, a researcher, and she’s genuineenough a scientist to be open about the risks. I respectthat in her.”However, she failed to make the case for Gardasil. “Forme, it was hard to resist the conclusion that Gardasildoes almost nothing for the health of Americanwomen.”http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/10/25/top_stories/doc4ae4b76d07e16766677720.txt☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 19 - Kenya: CervicalCancer on the Rise in CountrySadly, the antibiotics did not work. She was in the earlystages of cervical cancer. The doctor recommended thatthe affected area be removed."On the day of the surgery, four doctors walked in andtold me that because I was HIV-positive, they fearedthe cancer might reoccur and that they wanted toremove the whole uterus," she says.Just six month after diagnosis, she went ahead with thesurgery.Ms Mwajuma is among thousands of women who havebeen diagnosed with cervical cancer. The globalsituation is also grim. According to the World HealthOrganisation (WHO), about 500,000 cases are reportedeach year, with nearly 80 per cent of those reported indeveloping countries.In Africa, reported cases are on the increase and by2020 it will the most common cancer among womenand will account for 50 per cent of the deaths, says theglobal health agency.In Kenya's situation it is rising by five per cent everythree years and it accounts for 70 per cent ofgynaecological cases.The most recent studies done by the Nairobi CancerRegistry of 2002 reveals that it rose from 18 per cent in2000 to 23 per cent in 2002.The report reveals that it was only second to breastcancer in mortality rate among women in Nairobi andthe environs. Dr Omondi Ogutu, the chairman of theKenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society, paints adesperate picture. It is not about breast cancer anymore. He says that about 600 cases of cervical cancerare reported at Kenyatta National Hospital annually. ItContinued on page 24-23- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 23 – Kenya: Cervical Cancer on theRise in the Countryis a scary statistic.Rose Ngau, the nurse-in-charge at Family Health Plazaon Langata Road in Nairobi, has worked as a nurse inreproductive health since 1986 and recalls that cervicalcancer used to affected older women, but today, womenas young as 18 years are afflicted. "Cervical cancercould be increasing because of lifestyle changes likenutrition, sexual habits and HIV," she says.About 100 years ago, a group of epidemiologistsnoticed that the cancer was common in prostitutes anduncommon in nuns; except those that had been sexuallyactive before entering the convent.The group noticed that the disease was also prevalentamong women who became second wives to menwhose first wives had died of cervical cancer. Thisshowed that it was a sexually transmitted agent.However, it was not until the late 1970s that Germanresearchers isolated human papillomavirus (HPV).Development in the research of the HPV has shownthat there are over 70 known types, but about five arelinked to cervical cancer; HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, and35. Cervical cancer vaccines Cervarix fromGlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Gardasil from Merck &Co are meant to protect women from the strains of thevirus that cause the cancer.Cervarix is already in the Kenya market and the localGSK office has had a series of pre-launches whilepreparing for the major launch on July 2, 2008.According to Patrick Abelle, head of vaccine at GSKEast Africa, the vaccine trials are currently under wayin various countries in Tanzania, Senegal and Uganda.Initially, Cervarix was to sell at between Sh20,000 toSh30,000 for the full dosage of three taken over aperiod of six months, but the cost has since beenbrought down to Sh14,000.However, Sister Ngau says it is too expensive for thepoor woman who stands a higher risk of developing thecancer.Geoffrey Mutuma, the chairman of the Nairobi CancerRegistry, says some of the risk factors of breast andcervical cancer are opposite. Breast cancer is believedto be caused by late births and few children whilecervical cancer is caused by early birth and manychildren, which is likely to happen to poor womenmostly in rural areas and urban slums.http://allafrica.com/stories/200805121559.html☻☻☻☻☻☻South Africa: Dept ConsidersIntroduction of CervicalCancer Vaccines22 July 2009Pretoria — The Department of Health is consideringintroducing two vaccines to prevent new cases of cervicalcancer.The two Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines havebeen registered in South Africa and are presentlyavailable in the private sector. One vaccine targetscervical cancer only and the other targets both cervicalcancer as well as genital warts.The department is looking to find the resources neededfor the introduction of these vaccines. A cost-benefitanalysis will also be needed to decide which of the twovaccines would be more beneficial to the country.This is according to a statement released by theDepartment, following the 3rd Cervical Cancer AfricaConference, which ended in Cape Town on Monday.The conference saw ministers and deputy ministers ofhealth and women's affairs, parliamentarians, researchersand scientists, advocacy groups and the First Ladies ofAfrica, plotting a way forward on how to manage cervicalcancer.In South Africa, women have a 1 in 40 chance ofcontracting cervical cancer in their lifetime and thedisease is common among women with HIV. Around 80percent of the estimated 500 000 annual cases of cervicalcancer occur in developing countries.According to the department, South Africa has a strongacademic and resource base to enable it to establish aneffective cervical cancer prevention, screening andtreatment programme."Initial discussions have been conducted with academiaincluding clinicians, researchers that would form anoverarching advisory group with the aim of providingevidence-based direction to the department," it said.A review of the National Cancer Control Programme willalso be undertaken before the end of the year. This willprovide the department with a clear direction onimprovements that are needed to achieve optimal qualitycare.The department also needs an effective National CancerRegistry which will be a useful tool for planning andbudgeting for activities that are aimed at the preventionand treatment of cancers.Continued on page 25-24- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 24 – SA: Dept considers Introductionof Cervical Cancer Vaccines"We are confident that these two initiatives will help usprovide an effective, affordable and sustainable cancercontrol programme," said Deputy Minister of Health,Dr Molefi Sefularo.He called on more role players to support thedepartment in consolidating an affordable andsustainable programme"Given our resource constraints, we need to carefullyplan the basket of services that we provide andgradually increase this package of services. At the sametime, we need to ensure that quality does not decline."We also need to strengthen social mobilization andadvocacy to educate girls and women about the benefitsof screening for cervical cancer," he said.In 2004, South Africa set a target of screening 70percent of the target population of 30 years and abovewithin a period of 10 years, which would translate to 5,922, 991 women.By June 2009, the National Health Laboratory Services(NHLS) had handled 2,101,313 which is almost 50percent of the target. The department still needs todisaggregate the data to differentiate the screeningcoverage from the diagnostic figures.http://allafrica.com/stories/200907220913.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Nigeria: Cancer Cases onthe Increase, Says ExpertAbbas JimohDaily Trust5 February 2009Abuja — A medical expert in pathology and morbidanatomy at the College of Medicine of University ofLagos Dr Fatima Abdulkareem, said reported cases ofcancer diseases in the country is on the increase. Dr.Abdulkareem, who is the national ameerah of TheCriterion, a Muslim non-governmental organisation,disclosed this at the celebration of this year's WorldCancer Day.She therefore called for aggressive actions aimed atreducing the risk by individuals, families andcommunities at large. "Today (yesterday) is WorldCancer Day as declared by the International Unionagainst cancer (UICC). The aim is to increaseawareness about cancer and to disseminate informationabout risk factors, prevention and control. "In Nigeria,data has shown that almost half of cancer cases affectwomen with cancers of the breast and cervix being the 1stand 2nd respectively in both males and females puttogether, the 3rd being prostate cancer. There should beaggressive action towards reducing the risk byindividuals, families and the community. "The followingtips may help: Watch your weight, diet and do notindulge in alcohol or cigarette. Do 'pap smear' at leastonce in 2 years; be breast aware by doing regular selfbreast examination and then mammogram if you areabove 40 years. "Men should do 'Psa test' for prostatecancer, maintain a smoke free environment at home andat work, remember that silent smokers are equally at risk;be familiar with your body so that any abnormal changecan be reported to medical personnel for early detection;eat vegetables and fruits and exercise regularly," she said.☻☻☻☻☻☻-25- Traditional African Clinic November 2009Africa: Cervical CancerVaults to WHO Priority List22 September 2008Ouagadougou — With cervical cancer cases rising acrossSub-Saharan Africa, and 80 percent of women diagnosedtoo late to stop the cancer's deadly spread, the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) is recommending screeningand vaccination programmes throughout the region."WHO is going to strongly advocate with donors anddecision-makers to list cervical cancer as a public healthpriority...because with a vaccine we can save lives bypreventing cervical cancer." said Jean Gabriel Wango,head of family health at WHO in Ouagadougou.The vaccine will help fight the Human Papilloma Virus(HPV), which if left untreated, can develop into cervicalcancer.A silent killer's spread"There is little investment in this disease and many of ourwomen are unaware of it...so they die in silence," saidSita Kaboré, president of Kimi, an association that runscervical cancer screening campaigns in Burkina Faso.A cancer physician at the UK-based Oxford University,David Kerr, says by 2020, 70 percent of the 15 millionnew cases of cancer diagnosed every year will becontracted in the developing world.Cervical cancer is the most common tumour for Africanwomen, according to WHO. In Uganda, 80 percent offemale cancer survivors suffer from cervical cancer, saysDan Murokora, a Uganda-based gynecologist.But weak record keeping has hampered governments'efforts to find out the disease's morbidity rates; WHOContinued on page 26

Continued from page 25 – Africa: Cervical Cancer Vaultsto WHO Priority Listadvises governments to focus on record keeping indeveloping their prevention plans.ScreeningCervical cancer is largely preventable but women needto be screened every three to five years to halt thedeadly disease, according to Charlemagne Ouédraogo,a Ouagadougou-based gynecologist.But in Sub-Saharan Africa, which lacks diagnosticequipment and national prevention programmes, only 5percent of women are regularly screened for cervicalcancer, according to WHO's Boureima Hama Sambo,relegating most cases to late-stage, hard-to-curediagnoses.WHO is urging health ministries to make the HPVvaccine available in their national health plans to all 10to 13-year- old girls in order to prevent the disease.Reducing vaccine costsThe vaccine's three doses cost a total of US$300, in aregion where the average annual salary is aboutUS$550, according to the UN Children's Fund,UNICEF.The Geneva-based Global Alliance for Vaccines andImmunization is expected to negotiate withpharmaceutical companies to bring the price down,while the UN, Program for Adaptation of Technologiesin Health (PATH), and World Bank have pledged tohelp with costs so patients only pay US$45 for thevaccine.Hurdling the cost barrierFor some of Africa's health officials, this pricereduction is key to their governments' participation. "Itis a good idea to integrate the HPV vaccine intoprogrammes, but it remains too expensive. WHO andits partners need to assist countries to buy the vaccinefirst." says gynecologist Caroline Leite from CapeVerde.WHO's Sambo dismisses these cost concerns, and saysthe vaccine should be widely available soon. "We thinkthat there is an expression of political will and we thinkthat very soon we'll be able to roll out the vaccine forthese populations," he concluded.[This report does not necessarily reflect the views ofthe United Nations]http://allafrica.com/stories/200809230035.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Have You Been Screened forCervical Cancer?Daily MonitorSeptember 3, 2009Cervical Cancer AwarenessCervical cancer is the second most prevalent canceramong women in Uganda, yet not many people are awareof its severity: GlaxoSmithKline, the company thatdistributes the cervical cancer vaccine in Uganda inconjunction with Daily Monitor, IHK and AR, haveembarked on a campaign to sensitise the public aboutcervical cancer, starting with their own staff.What is cervical cancer and who is prone to it?The cervix is the entrance to the womb. Cervical canceris growth of abnormal cells in the cervix. It is caused bythe Human Papillomas Virus (HPV), spread throughsexual contact. Every sexually active woman therefore,regardless of age is prone to cervical cancer. It is used tobe that it was diagnosed in women above 30 yearsbecause symptoms only begin to show about 10-15 yearsafter one’s initial encounter with the virus but today, girlsas young as 21 are diagnosed with it, meaning they arehaving sex much earlier than before.So since men have no cervix, I imagine cervical cancerdoesn’t concern them?Other than having wives, sisters and mothers or sistersprone to the cancer, the men are involved in thetransmission of the cancer-causing virus spread throughsex. Men are passive carriers of the HPV and becomemore dangerous with an increasing number of sexpartners.How widespread is this cancer?It is the commonest cancer among women in Ugandawith an incidence of 46 per 100,000 women, and thesecond biggest killer after breast cancer.How dangerous is this cancer? What effects does ithave on its victim?Because it only presents symptoms in its fully blownstages, cervical cancer kills most of its victims. When itdoesn’t kill you, the treatment compromises the cellsaround the treated area and therefore compromisesfertility. Also, it would be unwise for a woman that hasundergone radiation treatment to conceive in the next twoyears or less as their babies are likely to be deformed.Treatment sometimes also requires surgery where thecervix could be removed or other organs like the entireuterus if it has spread.Continued on page 27-26- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 26 – Have you been screened forCervical Cancer?What are the earliest symptoms of cervical cancer?The earliest external symptom will only show then thecancer is fully blown and the first one is always contactbleeding. It could be bleeding during sex or justwashing up, bleeding during periods or for women whoare in menopause. There could also be some abdominalpain.Is the cancer curable?Yes it is, but treatment success depends on how early itis diagnosed which emphasises the importance ofscreening. Otherwise, the external symptoms are onlyusually apparent during the cancer’s full blown stageswhere successful treatment is unlikely.Which is he best way to safeguard cervical cancer?Vaccination. There is a three dose vaccine which hasbeen under testing for about three years now and is nowclinically approved as a preventive measure for thecancer. Ideally, it would be more effective given beforeone becomes sexually active but any woman can bevaccinated and they will still be safe. As long as therewere no cancerous cells developing already since thevaccine doesn’t reverse the effect of the HPV but ratherprevents it from causing the cancer.How effective is vaccination – does it reduce ortotally eliminate the risk of catching the cancer?In medicine, nothing is 100 per cent stable, everythingis always evolving. For now though, it has been provento give total protection from catching the cancer.Any lifestyle endeavours that would reduce chancesof getting the cancer?Responsible sexual partners for one as the morepartners you are involved with, the higher the risk ofcatching the cancer-causing virus. Regular screening,every three years, makes you safer since it is the onlyway the cancer can be detected even before it exhibitsexternal symptoms and will be successfully treated.Since it is an STI, can condoms help withprevention?Like is the case with HIV, they may make a differencebut not 100 per cent protection. Your best shot isregular screening and vaccination.Where can one get this vaccine?For now, I know that IHK offers the vaccination andthe three doses offered at zero, then one month afterand the third six months after the second. The total dosecosts about Shs480,000.Does the vaccine hav many side effects?Not that I know of.Cervical Cancer Screening isSafeThe best shot at surviving cervical cancer is detecting itearly, guaranteeing treatment success and minimaltreatment side effects.Ideally, every female should have a cevical cancer testevery three years to ensure there is no alteration in theircervical cells. Sadly though, the number of womenscreening for the cancer remains low and the cervicalcancer deaths high therefore. If they are not ignorant ofthe necessity of screening, most women are simply scaredof the procedure because they don’t know what to exect.In reality though, the screening producedures, thoughuncomfortable, are not painful, unless one has a badinflammation already.How it is doneThere are different ways of screening for cervical cancerbut only two are commonly used in Uganda. “There is theprocedure where we simply view the cervix cells which iswhat is used in mass screening, and the pap smear whichinvolves scraping and testing the cells of the cervix,” saysNyisomeh. To view the cervix, a speculum (a machinethat helps open the cervix) is inserted into the vagina tothe cervix. Inserting anything down there is bound to feeluncomfortable but not painful since the speculum ismeasured and adjusted according to each person’s size.“We use dyes applied with cotton wool on the cervixsurface to determine whether the cells are developingnormally and that’s all,” says the doctor. This should be areliable test for the cancer screening, unless there issuspicion of abnormal cell development. Then, onewould be required to take the Pap smear to be sure, eventhough one could choose to use the Pap smear even fortheir initial test.With a Pap smear, a wooden spatula (Small flat stick) isused to gently scrap cells off the cervix surface which arechecked for any abnormalities. “It sounds painful butbecause we use a wooden spatula, it doesn’t cause anypain, save for the slight discomfort,” reassures the doctor.The patient has the right to choose between whichprocedure they are most comfortable with, unless thereare any suspicions by the doctor. Otherwise, these simplepainless procedures could be what protects you fromjoining the numerous women that have been claimed bythe deadly cancer. Cervical cancer screening in Ugandacost anywhere between Shs10,000 and Shs250,000.☻☻☻☻☻☻-27- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 26 – Have you been screened forCervical Cancer?What are the earliest symptoms of cervical cancer?The earliest external symptom will only show then thecancer is fully blown and the first one is always contactbleeding. It could be bleeding during sex or justwashing up, bleeding during periods or for women whoare in menopause. There could also be some abdominalpain.Is the cancer curable?Yes it is, but treatment success depends on how early itis diagnosed which emphasises the importance ofscreening. Otherwise, the external symptoms are onlyusually apparent during the cancer’s full blown stageswhere successful treatment is unlikely.Which is he best way to safeguard cervical cancer?Vaccination. There is a three dose vaccine which hasbeen under testing for about three years now and is nowclinically approved as a preventive measure for thecancer. Ideally, it would be more effective given beforeone becomes sexually active but any woman can bevaccinated and they will still be safe. As long as therewere no cancerous cells developing already since thevaccine doesn’t reverse the effect of the HPV but ratherprevents it from causing the cancer.How effective is vaccination – does it reduce ortotally eliminate the risk of catching the cancer?In medicine, nothing is 100 per cent stable, everythingis always evolving. For now though, it has been provento give total protection from catching the cancer.Any lifestyle endeavours that would reduce chancesof getting the cancer?Responsible sexual partners for one as the morepartners you are involved with, the higher the risk ofcatching the cancer-causing virus. Regular screening,every three years, makes you safer since it is the onlyway the cancer can be detected even before it exhibitsexternal symptoms and will be successfully treated.Since it is an STI, can condoms help withprevention?Like is the case with HIV, they may make a differencebut not 100 per cent protection. Your best shot isregular screening and vaccination.Where can one get this vaccine?For now, I know that IHK offers the vaccination andthe three doses offered at zero, then one month afterand the third six months after the second. The total dosecosts about Shs480,000.Fletcher said.http://www.prisonplanet.com/1300-girls-harmed-by-hpvvaccines-in-uk-bizarre-side-effects-like-paralysis-andepilepsy.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Gardasil Side Effects LawsuitGardasil Vaccine:Gardasil is a drug developed by Merck & Co as a vaccinefor certain strains of human papilloma virus (HPV). Thevaccine has recently come under scrutiny as a result ofstudies linking it with a number of potentially fatal sideeffects.About Gardasil:In June 2006, Gardasil hit the market as the first cervicalcancer vaccine. Gardasil targets four strains of humanpapilloma virus (HPV) linked to many, but not all,cervical cancers and to genital warts.Safety data reviewed by the FDA in approving Gardasilwas based on about 11,000 people. Most side effectswere mild or moderate, such as pain or tenderness at theinjection site.In January 2007, the CDC added Gardasil to its routinechildhood immunization schedule. The CDCrecommended Gardasil, given in three doses, for all girlsaged 11-12 and even for girls as young as 9, with catchupdoses for girls and women aged 13-26 who hadn'tbeen vaccinated earlier.More than 26 million doses of Gardasil have beendistributed worldwide, including nearly 16 million in theU.S., according to Merck, which estimates that at least 8million females in the U.S. have received their first doseof Gardasil.Gardasil Side Effects:Although approved for use by the FDA, Gardasil hasbeen associated with a number of serious side effects.More than 8000 complaints of serious Gardasil sideContinued on page 31-28- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 10 NEWSLETTER November 2009AFRICAN HERITAGE SERIESTracing Africa’s DeclineThe date of the Decline of Africa presupposes a period of African Prosperity in the PastJustice Patrick Tabaro18 October 2009Sunday VisionIn the Kingdom of the DR Congo, a teeming crowd cladin silk and velvet, large states, well ordered down to thesmallest detail, powerful rulers, prosperous industries.“Civilised to the marrow of their bones”- Frobenius, anearly explorer, describing DR Congo before colonisation.“For the complexion of men, they consider black the mostbeautiful. In the Kingdoms of the southern region, it isthe same”- Maspero, describing southern China of 192(C.E).In this article, however, there is no intention of repeatingwhat has been covered; rather we intend to demonstrate inhistorical perspective that the misery now prevalent inAfrica and among Africans in the Diaspora is relativelynew - just 500 years old.Of course, it might be retorted polemically that fivecenturies of decline are long enough to break a people’sspirit. Possibly. However, we should not lose sight of thehistorical fact that Europe was in decline for equally long,if we take the Dark Ages (from 400 AD to 900 ADapproximately) as the yardstick, but is now in ascendancy.So, it is possible to recover and prosper and alter centuriesof decline. The tempo, pace and duration of recoverywould depend on the society in question and other factorsimpacting upon it globally.In this article, Black and African are usedinterchangeably; this notwithstanding, some clarificationis imperative. In some African languages I am acquaintedwith, for example, Rufumbira (Kinyarwanda), my mothertongue, three shades of black skin are differentiated inspeech without any racial connotations – brown (inzobe),black (inyarabure) and black – brown (imibiriyombiliterallymeaning a combination of two complexions) -just objective descriptions describing indigenous people -the negroes in proverbial Africa South of the Sahara.Since Egypt, now Arab in character, occupies a special-29- Traditional African Clinic November 2009place in the history of civilisation, it is pertinent, nayimperative, to demonstrate its original black origin. Ineveryday parlance, an ordinary person might refer to anEgyptian/Arab as simply an Arab rather than anAfrican, whereas outside Africa, Arabs are oftendescribed as black. It is not unusual for every nonwhiteto be referred to as Black in America as readerswill recall. Apparently, colour is in the eyes of thebeholder.Africa would appear to be the original home ofmankind. Stephen Oppenheimer (online) has gone asfar as to demonstrate the dispersal of original humanbeings from Africa to the rest of the continents. If thisthesis is true, then the non-Negro character of NorthernAfrica must be a consequence of cross-breedingbetween Negroes and other people.The genetic make-up of Arabs and Hebrews seems toindicate this theory (DR. Cheikh Anta Diop). TheArabs and other Semites appear to be descendants ofwhites from the steppes of Eurasia and Negroes fromthe interior of Africa. Earlier on, there was anendeavour in this column to show that Southern Asiawas civilized by black people, but later the civilisationwas destroyed and replaced by a succession of Aryaninvasions (Runoko Rashidi). This explains why thecharacter of Asia is progressively non-black from Southto North and becomes lighter the further to the Northand becomes lighter the further to the North one goes.There is a surfeit of evidence to support African’s claimto the eldest civilisation in the world, such asagriculture in the Nile valley more than 10,000 years,and mining of iron ore as far as South Africa for asmany years.The best piece of evidence is in the form of theEgyptian calendar dated 4241 BC based on the solarContinued on page 30

Continued from page 29 – Tracing Africa’s Declineyear and daily revolutions of the earth round the sun.Evidently, to reach this feat in calculating the days theearth takes to move round the sun in one year, theEgyptians by then must have possessed knowledge ofastronomy, and mathematics. Egypt derives fromGreek and means land of black people.Egyptian civilisation, to which atomic theory istraceable and all major world religions and philosophicalsystems, could not have originated fromEurope or Asia. It has been observed that whenNegroes were constructing pyramids (with the mostprominent being built in 3000 BC by Pharaoh Khufu(Cheops in Greek), Asians, then led by Mesopotamians,were constructing in mud bricks. From the GreatPyramid of Khufu (Cheops) at Giza near Cairo one cancalculate the circumference of the earth as well as thedistance between the sun and the earth. There is aclaim that before Arab invaders damaged the GreatPyramid, its reflections could be seen from the moon!The technology used to construct Pyramids developedfrom the interior of Africa in Sudan and spreadnorthwards until it reached its zenith in Egypt. TheEgyptian system of writing was hieroglyphic incharacter. Greek who civilised the rest of Europe wrotein the alphabet (which developed later fromhieroglyhics). Hence, ideas which are in hieroglyphicsbelong to Egyptian systems (civilisation). The basicsof arts, mathematics, astronomy, governance, medicine,philosophy and religion abound in hieroglyphics whichdeveloped in Egypt before the Greeks came to thehistorical scene (Cheikh Anta Diop). The developmentof civilisation from the interior in Sudan towards Egyptrules out Asia as the founder of civilisation.If it were not for racism, the black character ofEgyptian civilisation would not be questioned. At the1974 UNESCO Symposium in Cairo, primarilyconvened to determine who should be credited with thefounding of Egyptian civilisation, Cheikh Anta Diopand his pupil, friend and colleague, Dr. Obenga,demonstrated that the level of melanin, to whichNegroes owe their blackness, found in the mummifiedbodies of the pharaohs, buried in the Great Pyramid3000 BC, is the same as that found in Africans South ofthe Sahara. Having clinched the debate in favour ofAfricans, some scholars now contend that races do notexist.Races exist, and can be identified by the varyingamount of melanin in their bodies. In everyday life, wecan tell that there are black people, white people, brownpeople and yellow people. Experts distinguish betweengenotype and phenotype that is, genetic make-up, asopposed to apparent characteristics.Having demonstrated, from publications as seen above,that Egyptian civilisation was black, it remains to beaccounted for its current non-Negro character and withthis, the discussion of its decline.In ancient times, the earliest date of military defeat ofEgypt is taken to have fallen between 1730 – 1580 BCwhen the Egyptian Empire was partially occupied byHyksos (Shephard kings) from the East. They were,however, soon expelled in 1580. It is only in 525 BC thatEgypt was fully occupied by a foreign power, Persia.This date marked large scale movement of blacks fromNorth to South as they fled from the invaders. Thefugitives might have included the so called Bantu.As far back as 2500 BC, the word “Untu” meant “people”or “community” in the Egyptian language (E.A. WallisBudge – Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, 1911).Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Barbarians, Arabs, Turks,French and Britons did later colonise Egypt and left theirimprint there. The peculiar character of Egypt – rangingfrom white in Alexandria on the Mediterranean Coast toblack in Southern Egypt, is explained by the mingling ofdifferent races that interacted with and impacted upon theblack indigenous people.But the military defeat of Egypt in 16 th Century BC orindeed the various invasions did not mark the finalobliteration of black civilisation as the quotation at thebeginning of this essay indicates – incidentally, at thisjuncture, the nexus between Egyptian civilization andBlack Africa must be reiterated. Civilization spreadfrom the Nile Valley to the rest of Africa. The oldestmathematical statement available so far is the IshangoBone discovered in the Congo River Basin, related to theLunar Calendar calculations, apparently.It is dated about 8,000 years ago (Ivan Van SertimaBlacks in Science, 2009). The observations on the highlevel of civilisation in the Congo Basin were made in 15 thCentury A.D. There were similar levels of civilisation inother parts of the continent. This takes us to 500 yearsago.The revival of learning in Muslim countries after ProphetMuhammad (520-632 AD) requires emphasis. Thedestruction of Roman civilisation was mild,comparatively, in North Africa. Islam encouragedlearning and the Islamised black people of North Africa(the Moors – which in Latin means “black”) occupiedmany parts of Southern Europe; especially the IberianPeninsula (today’s Spain and Portugal). They spreadknowledge there, thereby triggering off the Renaissancein Europe.Continued on page 31-30- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 30 – Tracing Africa’s DeclineThere were supplementary factors in Europe whichcontributed to revival of learning in the Renaissance.In 1492 (again approximately 500 years ago), theSpaniards expelled the Moors from Europe and this isregarded as marking the beginning of Europeantriumphalism and the decline of Africans in moderntimes. In the same year, Christopher Columbus landedin Americas, crowning the era of Europeanexpansionism.In highlighting the landmarks of African civilisation,this author endeavoured to show that Copernicusreinstated what Africans had arrived at severalthousand before him. Isaac Newton acknowledged thatEgyptians were acquainted with gravitation, astronomyand atomic theory. Lastly, as a lay person, the questionwas paused as to whether Albert Einstein’s theoriessurpassed Egyptian Memphite Theology (from whichderive theories concerning the origin of the Universe), Ihave since learnt that Dr. Lloyd Quarterman, a blackman, was among Einstein’s workmates in the AtomicBomb programme.In 1954, Quarterman was awarded an accolade by theUSA War Department for his contribution to America’sNuclear War Programme, and ending war II.Black Africa declined, but the African people in theDiaspora proved they are equal to the task any humanbeing can accomplished, racial theories of inequalityshould be put to rest for good.The writer is a High Court Judge.☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 28 - Gardasil Side Effectseffects and complications have been registered,including at least eight deaths that are being investtigatedin relation to use of Gardasil HPV vaccine.Some of the commonly reported Gardasil side effectsinclude:• Blood clots• Paralysis• Seizure• Bells palsy• Guillain-Barre syndrome• Death• Miscarriage /Spontaneous abortionReports of death in young women have also beenreported. Three young women in the US died shortlyafter receiving Gardasil, while two other women inEurope also died after the vaccine was administered.The National Vaccine Information Center has also hadadverse side effects and conditions reported. To view theentire report from the NVIC, go tohttp://www.nvic.org/Diseases/HPV/HPVrpt.htm.Despite all of these reported side effects, Merckcontinues to market Gardasil as virtually side-effect free.Pregnant women taking the Gardasil vaccine havereported experiencing serious side effects. Nearly half ofthe pregnant women who received the Gardasil vaccineexperienced fetal abnormalities, the most serious ofwhich resulted in miscarriage.http://www.ennislaw.com/gardasil.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Cervical Cancer CasesHalved in 20 yearsWomen are now half as likely to be diagnosed withcervical cancer as they were around 20 years ago,researchers said.24 February 2009An NHS cancer screening programme launched in 1988has driven down the rate from 16 women per 100,000 in1988 to eight per 100,000 in 2005, according to the latestfigures.In the late 1980s, around 4,800 women were diagnosedwith cervical cancer each year in the UK but that figure isnow around 2,700.The news comes after 27-year-old reality TV star JadeGoody, who has terminal cervical cancer, celebrated herwedding to Jack Tweed at the weekend.Some health experts have criticised the screeningprogramme in England for only inviting women aged 25to 64 for smear tests.Young women used to be invited for screening from theage of 20 but this was changed in 2003.Women who live in Wales, Scotland and NorthernIreland are still invited for screening from the age of 20.The guidance for England was changed following advicefrom The International Agency for Research on Cancer,Cancer Research UK and the independent AdvisoryCommittee on Cervical Screening.They argued that few women under 25 develop cancerand that screening could lead to unnecessary and harmfulinvestigations for symptoms that may clear up bythemselves.Figures show that fewer women each year are attendingcervical screening, particularly those aged 25 to 34.. Continued on page 32-31- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 31– Cervical Cancer Cases Halved in20 YearsIn 2007/08, 4,337,720 women in England were invitedfor cervical screening and 3,374,826 were screened - a78.6% coverage.There has been anecdotal evidence from around the UKthat news of Jade Goody's cancer resulted in a surge inthe number of women accepting their invites for smeartests.Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of healthinformation, said cervical cancer used to be the sixthmost commonly diagnosed cancer in women and isnow the 13th following the success of the screeningprogramme.She added: "These compelling figures show howeffective the programme has been in preventing thedisease and saving lives."Screening works by picking up early changes in thecervix before they can develop into cancer."Before screening, more than 2,000 women in the UKdied from cervical cancer but in 2006 that figure was921.Ms Hiom said: "Even though cervical cancer is nolonger in the top 10 of all cancers, it is still the secondmost common cancer for women under the age of 35."Crucially, women must attend screening as soon asthey receive the invitation letter from their GP - it couldsave their lives."If signs of the disease are picked up early thentreatment is easy and effective."http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/4787765/Cervical-cancer-cases-halved-in-20-years.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Sex, Cancer and TheMandatory HPV VaccineBy Alan Cantwell, MD28 February 2007Can you get Cancer from sex? Is cancer a sexuallytransmitteddisease (STD)?A generation ago physicians insisted that cancer wasnot contagious or infectious, and couldn't betransmitted by coughing, sneezing, or any kind ofphysical contact.Now all this has changed. Public health authorities arepushing for a mandatory vaccine for girls as young as11 years of age to prevent infection with the human-32- Traditional African Clinic November 2009papilloma virus (HPV) - the sexually-transmitted virusbelieved to cause cancer of the cervix (the cervix is thelower portion of the uterus where it joins with the top endof the vagina).Why haven't physicians informed the public about the sexconnection to cancer? What do doctors really know aboutHPV and its cancer risk to women, particularly 11 yearoldgirls? Is the proposed mandatory HPV vaccine justanother way to make drug companies richer? And is thevaccine proven to prevent cervical cancer in women?The human papilloma virus as a sexually-transmittedvirusThere are about 100 types or "strains" of HPV, morecommonly known as "the wart virus." A few dozen typescan be passed sexually to infect the genital and anal areaof both sexes. Only a small number of HPV strains areinvolved in cervical cancer. "Type 16" of HPV causeshalf the cancers.HPV is the most common STD in the U.S. At least 50%of sexually-active people get HPV some time in theirlives; and the virus is highly prevalent in sexually-activemen. An estimated 6.2 million Americans are newlyinfected every year. The virus can be spread by touch byheterosexuals, bisexuals, gays and lesbians, - and throughvaginal, anal and oral sex.The vaccine and its costCalled Gardisil and manufactured by Merck and Co., theanti-HPV vaccine is a series of three shots given over aperiod of six months at a cost of $380. It's the mostexpensive vaccine ever made. The vaccine is promoted asa prevention of cervical cancer, precancerous genitallesions, and genital warts due to HPV.In reality, the vaccine only protects against the 4 types ofHPV which cause 70% of the cervical cancers. Thus,nearly one out of three cancers will not be prevented.Gardisil does not treat existing HPV infections, and itdoesn't work for women exposed to the virus beforegetting the vaccine. The vaccine is currently approved forfemales from the age of 11 up to 26 years of age, and it isnot recommended for pregnant women.In order for the immunity to continue, booster shots arerecommended every 5 years. Most significantly, thevaccine does not take the place of routine cervical cancerscreening tests, such as the Pap test, which costs about$50.Cervical cancer is a rare and preventable cancer inU.S. womenCervical cancer in the U.S. is a rare and preventabledisease! Despite the vaccine hoopla, the rates for cervicalContinued on page 33

Continued from page 32 – Sex, Cancer and the MandatoryHPV Vaccinecancer in the U.S. have been steadily declining since1975, not as a result of decreasing sexual partners, butas a result of the efficacy of continuing cancerscreening by use of the Pap smear test.Each year roughly 12,000 American women arediagnosed with cervical cancer; and 4,000 die from it. Itis important to recognize that infection with HPV isvery common, but cervical cancer is rare. Ten times asmany women die of breast cancer; and twice as manydie of leukemia. It is not cancer, but AIDS, that is theleading killer of African-American women. More thanone million Americans are infected with HIV, the virusthat causes AIDS.What women are at high risk for dying from cervicalcancer? Southern black women, Hispanic women livingalong the Texas-Mexican border, white women inAppalachia and the rural Northeast, and Vietnameseimmigrants all are at high risk. These groups are alsomore likely to be poor and unable to afford qualitymedical care. Cervical cancer is rare in nuns, unlessthey were sexually active prior to commitment toreligious life.Is sex the only way HPV can be transmitted?Vaccine makers would like the public to believe thatHPV is spread only through sex. However, studiessuggest HPV is common in little girls. HPV can infect anewborn passing through the birth canal of an infectedmother, or by close contact of a child with another,either by sexual or non-sexual contact.The possibility that HPV infection is acquired early inlife through the mouth or even the respiratory tractcannot be ruled out. There is also likelihood that HPVcan be spread through blood. HPV has been commonlyfound in the urine of young girls, and in semen.Cancer, condoms, circumcision and HPV in menHow is HPV acquired and transmitted among men?How frequently do they acquire it from women? Howfrequently do women contract it from men? We do notknow because such studies are non-existent. Mostsexually-active men carry HPV. The virus is the causeof penile warts and HPV infection can lead to anincreased risk for penile and anal cancer. Althoughmillions of men carry HPV on their skin, it is rare formen to get penile and anal cancer. Only one man in100,000 will die of penile cancer; and it is predictedanal cancer will kill 690 American men in 2007. (Morethan a half-million Americans have already died ofAIDS.) However, penile cancer is much more commonin parts of Africa and South America, where it accountsfor up to 10% of cancers in men.What happens when a man with penile cancer has sexwith his wife? Does he transfer HPV to her, increasingher risk for cervical cancer?Several hundred men with penile cancer were studied in a1990 Finnish experiment, along with their spouses. Onlytwo of the wives were found to have cervical cancer.Amazingly, the incidence was the same for a similar-sizegroup of women whose husbands did not have penilecancer. The study concluded: "The incidence ofcondylomas (genital warts) has increased during therecent decades, while that of carcinomas of the penis anduterine cervix has decreased. The results of this study didnot support the hypothesis that wives of men with penilecancer incur an increased risk of carcinoma of the cervixuteri. Although there is much evidence from a largenumber of studies that human papilloma virus (HPV) hasa role in the etiology of cervical cancer, our studysuggests that HPV associated with genital malignancieshas a low infectivity or that these cancers havemultifactorial etiology."Despite this study, sexual partners of patients withanogenital cancer patients should be carefully examinedfor cancer.How can a woman tell if her sex partner has HPV?There is no way for a woman to be sure that a man is orisn't infected with HPV. Many penile warts cannot bedetected without a special examination, and many mencarry HPV on "normal" skin.The most important thing any woman can do to decreaseher risk of acquiring cervix cancer is to undergo regularPap testing. Physicians also advise women to limit theirnumbers of sexual partners, and to delay the onset ofsexual activity.Unfortunately, condoms do not prevent HPV infection.Condoms protect against certain transmitted diseases likeHIV infection, but they do not lower the risk for cervicalcancer. However, studies indicate circumcision helpsprotect men from HPV and their wives from cervicalcancer. Circumcision is now also recommended in thirdworldcountries as a way to lower the risk of HIV aswell.Acquiring an STD does not necessarily indicate a personis "promiscuous." The more lottery tickets you buy themore likely you are to win the lottery. Similarly, the moresexual partners the more likely one is to contract anSTD.The word "promiscuous" is often tossed around in ademeaning way, and the word is rarely defined. MyContinued on page 34-33- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 33 – – Sex, Cancer and the MandatoryHPV Vaccinedermatology professor used to say a promiscuousperson is someone who has had more sexual partnersthan you have. A promiscuous person is often regardedas having "casual sex." But a virus (or any othersexually transmitted infectious agent) doesn't care if thesex is casual or not casual.It is possible to win the lottery by buying only oneticket; and possible to acquire HPV from one sexualpartner in the case of a monogamous and faithfulwoman. And, as stated, there is no way to guaranteethat a sexual partner is free of HPV.Is human papilloma virus the sole cause of cervicalcancer?There is evidence that HPV alone does not causecervical cancer and that other "co-factors" arenecessary. This research is downplayed by HPVvaccine makers. Because HPV infection rarely leads tocancer some investigators suspect that cervical cancermust have a multifactorial etiology. Back in the 1980smany physicians thought the "herpes simplex virus-2"was the cause of cervical cancer. Nowadays, somethink it is still a significant factor in some cases. In theUS, 25% of the general population is infected withHSV-2.Cervical cancer and bacteriaIn a rather recent development, it has been found thatbacteria and yeast organisms present in the vagina canmake a difference in testing for HPV infection.Apparently the detection of HPV DNA is influenced bythe composition of vaginal non-viral microbesprevalent at the time of testing.The question of whether infectious "cancer bacteria"are implicated in cancer is something that I havestudied throughout my professional career. There is acentury of research linking bacteria to cancer (and morerecently to AIDS), but unfortunately this has beenentirely ignored by the cancer establishment and byvirologists. I wrote about this cancer microbe researchin my three books, AIDS; THE MYSTERY AND THESOLUTION (1984), THE CANCER MICROBE (1990)and in FOUR WOMEN AGAINST CANCER (2005).These cancer-associated bacteria (which also have avirus-like growth stage) have been demonstrated inbreast cancer, prostate cancer, various forms oflymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma (the "gay cancer" ofAIDS) and in AIDS-damaged tissue at autopsy,, and inother chronic diseases. (Google: cancer bacteria orcancer microbe for details.)Years ago, my friend and mentor Virginia Livingston,T M.D. wrote in her book, CANCER: A NEW BREAK-HOUGH (1972), that care should be taken in the sexualarena. She advised people "to not have physical relationsexcept with your mate" because of her research showingthat cancer was a disease caused by infectious bacteria.At the time her words were considered absolute nonsenseand totally out of touch with the sexual mores of the 70s,and Livingston was widely accused of being a quack byher colleagues. When she attempted to boost the immunesystem of cancer patients with vaccines made from thepatient's own bacteria, she was harassed by the medicalauthorities. Now Livingston's old "heresy" promotingcancer as an infection is the current vogue of virologistsand vaccine makers.A very recent Italian study stresses the importance ofvaginal bacteria as a possible co-factor in cancer.Ureaplasma urealyticum is a "mycoplasma-like" (viruslike)bacterium generally ignored by cancer researchers.The Italian scientists wrote: "The presence of a highUreaplasma urealyticum level seems to be a cofactor ofHPV infection, a necessary cause of precancerous lesionsof the uterine cervix."The finding of HPV in a wide variety of humancancersIs cancer contagious and infectious? In addition toanogenital cancers, HPV has been found in head and neckcancers, the sixth most common form of cancer in theU.S. A PubMed internet search of HPV in other cancersindicates that HPV has been found in a variety of humancancers, such as cancer of the mouth, tongue, tonsil,esophagus, lung, breast, liver, colon, lymphoma, and inskin cancers and in healthy skin. As these cancerscollectively encompass most human cancers, theevidence certainly suggests that cancer could be acommunicable and/or a sexually transmitted disease.Such a view is at odds with what the medical professionhas been telling people until recently.However, the infectious nature of cancer is exactly whatcancer microbe researchers have been proclaiming sincethe late nineteenth century, as reported in my book THECANCER MICROBE. What the current finding ofubiquitous viruses also suggests is that there is someunrecognized relationship between bacteria in cancer andthe widespread presence of various viruses in cancer.The hidden dangers of vaccinesNo vaccine is 100% safe! Vaccines can easily becomecontaminated with viruses, bacteria and mycoplasma.During the flu season in 2004 almost half of that year'sflu vaccine supply was withdrawn from the market due tobacterial contamination.During the mandatory polio vaccine programs in theContinued on page 35-34- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 34– – Sex, Cancer and the MandatoryHPV Vaccine1950s, half the U.S. population was infected with acancer-causing monkey virus (simian virus 40) thataccidentally contaminated the polio vaccine.During the "swine flu" scare of February 1976, millionsof Americans were urged to take a vaccine against it.The swine flu pandemic never happened, but theextensive vaccine program was halted in January 1977after 500 cases of Guillain-Barre sydrome, a seriouspolio-like syndrome, occurred in vaccine recipients.There were 25 deaths from the syndrome and thefederal government had to eventually pay out $90million dollars in damages from the lawsuits.A few physicians believe that the HIV/AIDS epidemicoriginated exclusively in gay men due to thecontamination of the experimental hepatitis B vaccine(also made by Merck and Co.), which was inoculatedinto thousands of gay male volunteers prior to theoutbreak of AIDS and the "introduction" of HIV intothat population in 1979.In 2004 Merck withdrew the FDA-approved arthritisdrug Vioxx after a three-year study linked the painkillerto increased risk of heart attack, stroke and suddencardiac death in patients who took the drug. Thousandsof lawsuits have been filed against the company and arepending.Vaccines have also been reported to be surreptitiouslylaced with anti-fertility drugs and administered to childbearingwomen in third world countries. Millions ofMexican, Nicaraguan, and Filipino women were dupedinto taking tetanus vaccines, some of which contained afemale hormone (hCG) capable of causing miscarriageand sterilization. In 1995, a Catholic human rightsorganization called Human Life International accusedthe World Health Organization of promoting aCanadian-made tetanus vaccine containing thepregnancy hormone hCG. (For more details, see myInternet article, "Vexing over vaccines.") Side effectsof Gardasil already include several post-vaccinationcases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, as reported andposted on the National Vaccine Information Centerwebsite.Nowadays, it is becoming more and more impossible tosue for damages in the event of a serious vaccineinducedreaction. Vaccine manufacturers are nowprotected by a tort liability shield granting themimmunity from potential liability in the event of adeclared public health emergency. The PublicReadiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, signed byGeorge W. Bush in December 2005, removed the rightto a jury trial for persons injured by a covered vaccine.-35- Traditional African Clinic November 2009Is the HPV vaccine proven to be effective?On Feb 2, 2007, governor Rick Perry of Texas issued anexecutive order requiring all 11 and 12 year-old girls toreceive the new HPV vaccine. Perry claims, "Neverbefore have we had an opportunity to prevent cancer witha simple vaccine." This actually is not true. Merck'shepatitis B vaccine, used since the 1980s, was heralded asa vaccine to prevent liver cancer. However, each yearmore deaths from liver cancer are reported.In an adolescent girl, the development of cervical cancercan take a half-century or longer to develop. The onlyway to prove the vaccine is effective is to determine theactual cancer rate over a very long period of time.Because the HPV vaccine maker recommends that Paptests be done regularly during these decades, how will itbe possible to determine that the vaccine "alone" iseffective?Furthermore, there is no current plan to vaccinate men forHPV. It seems premature to mandate a vaccine for allfemales and ignore the male half of the population.There is already a backlash against the lobbying effectsof Merck to push for mandatory vaccination in Texas.Time will tell whether the vaccine will indeed bemandatory for all young American women, and whetherall eligible women will be able to afford it and to receiveit.It seems reasonable to educate the population regardingHPV infection and the risk for cancer, and to guaranteevaccine safety and to provide medical care for possiblevaccine injuries before the vaccine is injected intomillions of American women.Selected references:Bodaghi S, Wood LV, Roby G, Ryder C, Steinberg SM, ZhengZM. Could humanpapillomaviruses be spread through blood? JClin Microbiol. 2005 Nov;43(11):5428-34.Dunne EF, Nielson CM, Stone KM, Markowitz LE, GiulianoAR. Prevalence of HPV infection among men: A systematicreview of the literature. J Infect Dis. 2006 Oct 15;194(8):1044-57. Epub 2006 Sep 12.Castellsague X, Diaz M, de Sanjose S, Munoz N, HerreroR,Franceschi S, PeelingRW, Ashley R, Smith JS, Snijders PJ,Meijer CJ, Bosch FX; International Agency for Research onCancer Multicenter Cervical Cancer Study Group. Worldwidehuman papillomavirus etiology of cervical adenocarcinoma andits cofactors: implications for screening and prevention. J NatlCancer Inst. 2006 Mar1;98(5):303-15.Lukic A, Canzio C, Patella A, Giovagnoli M, Cipriani P, FregaA,Moscarini M. Determination of cervicovaginalmicroorganisms in women with abnormal cervicalcytology: the role of Ureaplasma urealyticum. Anticancer Res.2006 Nov-Dec;26(6C):4843-9.Continued on page 36

Continued from page 34– – Sex, Cancer and the MandatoryHPV VaccineMaiche AG, Pyrhonen S. Risk of cervical cancer amongwives of men with carcinoma of the penis. Acta Oncol.1990;29(5):569-71.McNicol P, Paraskevas M, Guijon F. Variability ofpolymerase chain reaction-based detection of humanpapillomavirus DNA is associated with the composition ofvaginal microbial flora. J Med Virol. 1994 Jun;43(2):194-200.Powell J, Strauss S, Gray J, Wojnarowska F. Genital carriageof human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA in prepubertal girlswith and without vulval disease. Pediatr Dermatol. 2003May-Jun;20(3):191-4.Rosemberg SK, Herman G, Elfont E. Sexually transmittedpapilloma viral infection in the male. VII. Is cancer of penissexually transmitted? Urology. 1991 May;37(5):437-40.Syrjanen S, Puranen M. Human papillomavirus infections inchildren: the potential role of maternal transmission. Crit RevOral Biol Med. 2000;11(2):259-74.Alan Cantwell M.D. is retired dermatologist. He is theauthor of The Cancer Microbe: The Hidden Killer in Cancer,AIDS, and Other Immune Diseases, and Four WomenAgainst Cancer: Bacteria, Cancer and the Origin of Life,both published by Aries Rising Press, PO Box 29532, LosAngeles, CA 90029 (www.ariesrisingpress.com).http://www.rense.com/general75/SXSE.HTM☻☻☻☻☻☻HPV Vaccine a Suggestion,not Mandate, in U.S.Virginia and Washington D.C. require shots, butparents can opt outThe Associated PressAugust 31, 2009RICHMOND, Va. - Only Virginia and the District ofColumbia have moved toward requiring sixth-gradegirls to get vaccinated for a potentially canceroussexually transmitted disease, three years after federalhealth officials recommended the shots.About two dozen states considered requiring thevaccine, but balked amid funding woes and parents'concerns it wasn't safe and would promote promiscuity.Publicity that a massive pharmaceutical companybankrolled the lobbying effort didn't help.Virginia and the District of Columbia allow parents toopt out of the "requirement" for any reason, making thevaccine for human papillomavirus, or HPV, more of asuggestion than a mandate. Both passed laws in 2007,but pushed back their start dates to this year to allowmore study of the vaccine.In the nation's capital, where students started school aweek ago, girls will be held out of classes after Friday ifthey haven't either gotten the shot or turned in a formsaying their parents opted out.Virginia rules are more lax. Girls were being asked tobring in documentation if they got the vaccine. If not,officials assumed parents chose not to get thevaccination.Health officials said they expect as many as half ofparents to opt out.There are more than 44,000 girls expected to enter sixthgrade in Virginia's public schools and about 2,300 in D.C."Any time you have a first-year requirement, it takes awhile for things to catch on," said Tia Campbell, Virginiaschools health specialist.Vaccine recommendationsHeather Renehan of Henrico County near Richmond is aformer pharmaceutical sales representative for Merck &Co., maker of the only federally approved HPV vaccine,Gardasil. Renehan got the three-shot series for her 14-year-old daughter Jessi, who is entering high school. Butshe said she will not get the vaccine for Ally, who isentering the sixth grade, or her younger sister until theyget older."I think parents can judge their children and judge whenthey need it," she said. "... I will definitely vaccinatethem, though. I think it's critically important."A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionadvisory committee recommended in 2006 that thevaccine be given to all 11- and 12-year-old girls, and it isapproved for girls as young as 9."I know that's not what parents really want to think about,but in the United States 70 percent of females have hadsexual intercourse by the age of 18," said VirginiaDepartment of Health epidemiologist Laura Ann Nicolai.HPV, the most common sexually transmitted virus, oftenis harmless but it can cause cervical cancer, which killsabout 3,700 of the 10,000 women who get it each year.Since Gardasil's approval, more than 40 states haveproposed legislation requiring education or insurancecoverage of the vaccine or mandating it for girls. Abouthalf have approved some sort of legislation.-36- Traditional African Clinic November 2009Texas Gov. Rick Perry sidestepped the legislature in2007 and ordered a mandate, but lawmakers overturnedhis executive decree. New Mexico lawmakers passed amandate that same year, but Gov. Bill Richardson vetoedit.Continued on page 37

Continued from page 36 - HPV Vaccine is a SuggestionSeveral other states set aside money to provide the costlyvaccine — the series runs about $360 — but scaled backas the bad economy ate away at budgets.Side effectsProposals also lost steam because Merck paid for thelobbying efforts nationwide. The company suspended itsefforts in February 2007 "so that there would be nomisperception" about its intentions, said Pam Eisele, aspokeswoman for the New Jersey-based company.Merck stood to make billions because its rival, LondonbasedGlaxoSmithKline PLC, has yet to get U.S.approval for its HPV vaccine, Cervarix. So far, Merckhas sold about 26 million doses of Gardasil in the U.S.and 50 million worldwide, with more than $1.4 billion insales last year.As far as the vaccine's safety is concerned, two recentstudies by federal and academic researchers have foundlow rates of side effects.From June 2006 through December 2008, the federalgovernment's voluntary reporting system had receivedmore than 12,000 reports of side effects, or 54 reports per100,000 doses given. Most were for things such asfainting, dizziness, headaches and nausea.There were also 32 reported deaths — or one per 1million girls vaccinated — but it is unclear whether thevaccine was to blame.Health officials said the benefits outweigh the risks."Not all parents may choose to have their childrenvaccinated, but we certainly hope that all parents willreview the educational materials and make an educatedand informed decision," said Nicolai, of the Virginiahealth department.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32628957/ns/healthkids_and_parenting/☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 3 – The Loss of AfricanTraditional Religion in Contemporary AfricaThe African traditional religious life has alwaysconsidered all life to be the sphere of the Almighty, thepowerful (the Otumfoo), the Omnipotent (Gye Nyame).He is wise, and all seeing and all knowing. He is theGreat Spider (Ananse Kokroko), and the Ancient of Days(Odomankoma).In the private and public life of the African religious rites,beliefs, and rituals are considered an integral part of life.Life then is never complete unless it is seen always in itsentirety. Religious beliefs are found in everyday life andno distinction is made between the sacred and the secular.The sacred and the secular are merged in the total personaof the individual African. Life is not divided intocompartments or divisions. Thus there are no specialtimes for worship, for everyday and every hour isworship time. There are no creeds written down becausethrough the traditions of the Elders all creeds andfunctions are carried in the individual's heart. Eachindividual by his very nature and life style is a livingcreed from the time one rises until one retires at night. Anunderstanding of the basic nature of the African religioustradition surely illuminates the meaning of spirituality incontemporary Africa.http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/lossrelg.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻Continued from page 44 – The Magic of Tumericworks: Certain HPV viruses need viral oncogine proteinfrom cells in the body to express themselves rapidly.Curcumin actually stops the protein from epithelial cellsto bind with the virus.International interest in the neuro-protective potential ofturmeric has risen after seeing its efficacy in traditionaltreatment in India. Over 90 scientific institutions in theUnited States are today studying the magical medicalproperties of the ancient Indian herb. Many of them arespecifically studying how turmeric can inhibit growth ofvarious types of cancer. Turmeric in India was alwaysconsidered a magical herb. Indian folklore had alwayssaid that turmeric helped reduce inflammation. It wasused as a blood purifier, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory,expectorant and skin tonic. It was used to treat measles,cough, sprains, and scabies.The tuber is aromatic, stimulant and a tonic. It is alsouseful in curing periodic attacks of hysteria andconvulsions. Its juice or dry powder, mixed in buttermilkor plain water, is highly beneficial in intestinal problems,especially chronic diarrhea. About 20 drops of juice ofraw turmeric, mixed with a pinch of salt, taken first thingin the morning is considered an effective remedy forexpelling worms.Early Sanskrit works mentioned Turmeric. BothAyurvedic and Unani practitioners were familiar with itsmedicinal properties. It was administered to strengthenthe working of the stomach. It was mixed with honey totreat anemia. For measles, dry turmeric roots werepowdered and mixed with a few drops of honey alongwith the juice of few bitter gourd leaves. It was also aneffective remedy for chronic cough and throat irritations.http://www.boloji.com/health/articles/01051.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻-37- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 4, Issue 10 NEWSLETTER November 2009FEATURED ARTICLESHenrietta Lacks and the HeLa CellsBy Dashing ClaireOctober 2009Little Known Black History Fact: Mrs. LacksHer family and scientists are probably the only ones thatknow the name of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman. She’sdone so much for cancer and other research. Mrs. Lacksdied at the age of 31 in 1951 at the research hospitalsegregated ward, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.Henrietta Lacks is more famous in death than she was inlife. According to Johns Hopkins Magazine April 2000edition, Henrietta Lacks was an African-American whoseonly travel was from a tobacco growing community inVirginia to a segregated community in Baltimore,Maryland. Mrs. Lacks lived in Baltimore with herhusband, and gave birth to five children.Henrietta Lacks circa 1945-1950The HeLa CellsIn February 1951 Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed withcervical cancer. The tumor was large and rapidly growing.Henrietta returned to Johns Hopkins for radium treatmentto kill the tumor, but not before a resident took anothersample from the tumor. The tumor bleed easily whentouch meaning it had a good blood supply. Because of thetumor’s qualities, the sample went to Dr. George Gey,head of tissue culture research at Hopkins. Dr. Gey andhis wife, Margaret a nurse, were cancer researchers. Theysearched for human cell samples that would live adinfinitum outside the human body. If they could find suchcells and grow them in a lab, they could continue researchuntil a cure was found. In 1951, human cells lasted a fewdays outside the body before dying.-38- Traditional African Clinic November 2009Richard TeLinde, then Hopkins chairman ofGynecology was also looking for human cells toresearch a cure for cervical cancer.Mrs. Henrietta Lacks’ did more for medicine andresearch in 1951 and beyond than any other person.Henrietta’s cancer cells multiplied like nothing everseen before. What was better was that the cells lived.What was not good for Henrietta was that the cellslived and grew in her body also. The cancer spread toalmost every organ in her body between February andOctober 1951. What was considered unethical behaviorby Dr. Gey was his appearance on TV with a vial ofHenrietta's cells, which he called HeLa cells – He fromHenrietta and La from Lacks. Neither the patient northe family was informed of what was happening toMrs. Lacks’ cells.HeLa Cells for Polio VaccineAn African-American woman, Mrs. Henrietta Lacks isburied in an unmarked grave across from the tobaccofields and behind her mother’s old house in Virginia.Henrietta traveled back from Baltimore. That’s the onlytravel she did in life. Her cancer cells have beenmultiplied and traveled all around the world as HeLa.All these years later the cells are still alive. Researchersare shocked with their strength. They reproduce a newgeneration every 24 hours.Dr. Gey and his contemporaries used Mrs. Lacks’ cellsto grow the polio virus. She made it possible to growthe virus so the vaccine could be developed. Jonas Salkin Pittsburgh created a polio vaccine, and the NationalFoundation for Infantile Paralysis established facilitiesfor mass-producing the HeLa cells. Henrietta’s cellshave traveled around the world and into space since1951. The cells are massed produced and are the normfor use in labs and research.Researcher Walter Nelson-Rees had great concern forthe containment of HeLa. It’s use all over the world andrapid growth rate can cause the cells to get out ofcontrol. Continued on page 39

Continued from page 40 – Henrietta Lacks and the Hela CellsHe stated that the HeLa had infiltrated the world's stockof cell cultures. Lack of proper handling had allowed thecells to be airborne, carried on hands, and pipettescausing cross contamination.The Ethical and Moral IssueNo signed consent from Mrs. Lacks or her family can beproduced allowing research to be done on her cells. HeLacells are massed produced for commercial use, but noneof the profits have reached the Lacks’ family. Cell linesthat originate with humans have been somewhatcontroversial in bioethics, as they may outlive theirparent organism and later be used in the discovery oflucrative medical treatments. In the pioneering decisionin this area, the Supreme Court of California heldin Moore v. Regents of the University of California thathuman patients have no property rights in cell linesderived from organs removed with their consent.Henrietta Lacks started a medical revolution but fewpeople know of her experience or even where she’sburied. In the Johns Hopkins article, there was a questionas to whether the family had health insurance. So thefamily didn’t even get medical care out of Henrietta’scontribution. The article acknowledges that it was 1974when the family got information by accident of how Mrs.Lacks’ cells were being used, that the family called JohnsHopkins. The family had blood and tissue samples takenby the medical staff, but never heard from the hospitalagain. The Lacks were tired calling.Work Citedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLaJones, H. W., Jr., V. A. McKusick, et al. (1971). George OttoGey (1899-1970). The HeLa cell and a reappraisal of itsorigin. Obstet Gynecol 38(6): 945-949.Modern Times:The Way of All Flesh; (1997) BBC documentaryon Henrietta Lacks, directed by Adam CurtisRebecca Skloot, Cells That Save Lives are a Mother'sLegacy, New York TimesRussell Brown and James H M Henderson, 1983, The MassProduction and Distribution of HeLa Cells at TuskegeeInstitute, 1953-1955. J Hist Med allied Sci 38(4):415-43Smith, Van (April 17, 2002). "The Life, Death, and Life AfterDeath of Henrietta Lacks, Unwitting Heroine of ModernMedical Science.". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2009-10-02.Warren Y. Lewis, and George O. Gey. Johns Hopkins Med J136(3): 142-149http://hubpages.com/hub/Henrietta-Lacks-and-the-HeLa-Cells☻☻☻☻☻☻-39- Traditional African Clinic November 2009CONTAMINATIONBecause of their adaptation to growth in tissue cultureplates, HeLa cells are sometimes difficult to control. Forexample, they have proven to be a persistent laboratory"weed" and they can contaminate other cell cultures inthe same laboratory, interfering with biological researchand forcing researchers to declare many research resultsinvalid because the cells used were later found to becontaminated. The degree of HeLa cell contaminationamong other cell types is unknown, because fewresearchers test the identity or purity of alreadyestablishedcell lines. It has been demonstrated that asubstantial fraction of in vitro cell lines — approximately10%, maybe 20%, are actually contaminated with HeLacells. Stanley Gartler in 1967 and Walter Nelson-Rees in1975 were the first to publish on the contamination ofvarious cell lines by HeLa.Science writer Michael Gold in his book Conspiracy ofCells: One Woman's Immortal Legacy and the MedicalScandal It Caused (ISBN 0887060994) wrote about theHeLa cell contamination problem. Gold describesGartler's identification of this problem and many,possibly career-ending efforts to identify this pervasiveworldwide problem, affecting even the laboratories of thebest physicians, scientists, and researchers, includingJonas Salk. Gold also states that the HeLa contaminationproblem almost led to a Cold War incident. The USSRand the USA had started to cooperate in the war oncancer launched by President Richard Nixon and then itwas found the cells exchanged were contaminated byHeLa. In his epilogue, Gold contends that the HeLaproblem was amplified by emotions, egos, and areluctance to admit mistakes, saying "It's all human - anunwillingness to throw away hours and hours of whatwas thought to be good research...worries aboutjeopardizing another grant that's being applied for, thehurrying to come out with a paper first. And it isn'tlimited to biology and cancer research. Scientists in manyendeavors all make mistakes, and they all have the sameproblems".Rather than recognize or focus on the problem of HeLacell contamination, or on how to resolve this problem,many scientists, researchers and science writers continueto document this problem as simply a contaminationproblem, caused not by errors, or shortcomings ofscientists, physicians and other personnel in publichealth, medicine, or science, or researchers, but by thehardiness, tenacity, proliferating or overpowering natureor other characteristic of HeLa. Recent data suggest thatcross contaminations are still a major ongoing problemwith modern cell cultures.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa_cell☻☻☻☻☻☻

The Virus behind the CancerOne in 10 human cancers starts with a viralinfection, often the ubiquitous human papillomavirus.Yale scientists want to know why—and are hoton the trail of new vaccines and therapies to treatthe virus behind the cancer.By Jennifer KaylinMore than 50 years ago, a young woman named HenriettaLacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Despitesurgery and aggressive radiation therapy, the cancer soonspread throughout her body, and on October 4, 1951, shedied.It was a cruel death for the 31-year-old mother of five,but Lacks’ story didn’t end there. George O. Gey, M.D.,head of tissue culture at Johns Hopkins University, whereLacks was treated, had been searching, for researchpurposes, for a line of human cells that could liveindefinitely outside the body. He got his wish when cellsfrom Lacks’ cancerous tumor were cultured. Just as theyhad done in her body, the cells multiplied ferociously inthe lab, crawling up the sides of test tubes and consumingthe medium around them. An entire generation of thecells reproduced every 24 hours.Referring to Lacks’ cells, Gey declared at the time, “It ispossible that, from a fundamental study such as this, wewill be able to learn a way by which cancer can becompletely wiped out.” To this day, Lacks’ cells, knownas the HeLa cell line, are some of the most robust andrapidly growing cells known to science. They are stillused by thousands of researchers around the world todecipher the complexities of cell biology, particularly asthey apply to cancer.At Yale, scientists are using the HeLa cell line to study,among other things, the human papillomavirus (HPV)that causes the cervical cancer that killed Lacks. “Herlegacy,” says Daniel C. DiMaio, M.D., Ph.D., theWaldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Genetics andprofessor of therapeutic radiology, “is that her cells arehelping us unravel the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, sothat some day we might be able to prevent and treat it.It’s rather remarkable.”The field of human tumor virology is still a relativelynew area of scientific inquiry. Although it has beenknown for nearly a century that viruses can cause tumorsin animals, only in recent decades have human tumorviruses been identified. Researchers at Yale, among themI. George Miller, M.D., have contributed to ourunderstanding of the mechanisms of viral tumorigenesis.Miller, the John F. Enders Professor of Pediatrics andprofessor of epidemiology and of molecular biophysicsand biochemistry, was the first to show that a humanvirus can cause tumors in primates. Experiments heconducted at Yale in the 1960s showed that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) could cause lymphoma in cotton-topmarmosets. He also showed that the virus was veryeffective at changing normal human lymphocytes intocells with properties of cancer cells in culture.More recently, DiMaio’s lab demonstrated that cervicalcancer cells need the viral proteins to grow, thus raisingthe possibility that the cancers can be treated withantiviral drugs. DiMaio, Janet L. Brandsma, Ph.D. ’81,and others are currently working on a vaccine to treatpatients with cervical cancer.Besides these advances, Yale researchers who specializein tumor virology believe their work could have widerapplications, potentially expanding knowledge of a rangeof cancers and other illnesses and biological processes,such as cellular aging. “It will help us understand allcancers,” says Brandsma, an associate professor ofcomparative medicine and pathology. “Most smallmutations in cellular genes are very subtle, but with viralcancers, the viral genome in the cancer cell is foreign andeasier to recognize. It’s an excellent model.”Chickens, rabbits, warts and miceMore than 10 percent of all cancers in humans arestrongly associated with infection by tumor viruses, androughly 15 percent of all cancer deaths worldwide arecaused by viruses. “It’s a very important problem,”DiMaio says. But he also sees tumor virology as atremendous opportunity. “Once you know that a cancer iscaused by a virus, you are far ahead of where you’d befor any other cancer, because you’ve identified the target,you’ve identified the cause and you have well-establishedways to prevent or treat the disease that just don’t existfor spontaneously arising tumors.”To say that certain viruses cause certain cancers can bemisleading. You can’t catch cancer from another person,and most people who are infected with HPV, forexample, won’t get cervical cancer. However, everyonewho gets cervical cancer has the HPV infection. “Otherthings have to go wrong in order for the cancer todevelop,” DiMaio explains, “but the virus contributes inan essential way. If you prevent virus infection byvaccination, you don’t get the cancer, and if you turn offthe virus, the cancer can’t grow.”HPV is the best-understood example of how a virus leadsto cancer. Two things have to happen: First, viral geneproducts cause the cells to become genetically unstableand accumulate mutations that render cells unresponsiveto aspects of growth control and the immune response.Continued on a page 41-40- Traditional African Clinic November 2009

Continued from page 40 – Virus behind the CancerSecond, the viral oncogenes provide a sustained stimulusto cell growth.The first clue that there was a viral link to certain cancerscame in 1911. Using a virus found in chickens, F. PeytonRous, M.D., a scientist at the Rockefeller Institute forMedical Research, showed that the chicken sarcomacould be induced in other chickens. “There was a lot ofdoubt about what applicability it had, if any, to humandisease,” says Miller. But in 1966 Rous shared the NobelPrize in physiology or medicine for his research on thelink between viruses and cancer, and the chicken virusbecame known as the Rous sarcoma virus.Another important development, Miller says, came in the1930s, when Richard Shope, M.D., one of Rous’collaborators and the father of the late Yaleepidemiologist Robert E. Shope, M.D., HS ’58, was outhunting with a friend. The friend mentioned that he’dseen rabbits with horns—actually giant warts. Shopeasked his friend to send him some of the horns, which hethen ground up, so he could isolate the virus causing thewarts. When he injected the virus into other rabbits, theyalso grew horns. Interestingly, when New Zealand whiterabbits were inoculated with the virus, they grew horns,but Shope couldn’t recover the virus; in cottontail rabbits,the virus was retrievable. This discovery raised thequestion of viral latency, which scientists now know isintrinsic to the behavior and biology of tumor viruses.(Miller is currently researching latency as it relates to theKaposi sarcoma virus. He’s trying to determine what thesuppressor mechanism is and why latent-state viralgenomes are suppressed in the tumor cells and thenperiodically reactivated.)In the early 1950s Ludwik Gross, M.D., head of cancerresearch at the Bronx (N.Y.) VA Hospital, opened thefield of tumor virology in mammals with his discovery ofwhat became known as the Gross mouse leukemia virus.Gross showed that a virus led to mouse leukemia andcould be passed from one generation to the next.Although these and other studies unequivocally showedthat viruses can lead to tumors in animals, making theleap to human tumor viruses wasn’t easy. Researchersencountered several obstacles. For starters, only a smallpercentage of people who are infected actually developcancer; it takes more than a virus infection for a tumor toform; and other factors, such as immunosuppression orexposure to another carcinogen, must be present. Finally,it can take decades for symptoms to appear.Despite these challenges, in 1965 the first bona fideexample of a human tumor virus—EBV—was discoveredin cells from Burkitt lymphoma. Since then scientistshave identified six viruses that have been shown to play arole in human cancers.HPVs are a family of small DNA viruses that typicallycause benign warts. However, certain high-risk HPVtypes have been linked to a variety of carcinomas, themost prevalent being cervical cancer. HPV is alsothought to play a role in other anogenital cancers, skincancers and some head and neck tumors.Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are geneticallyunrelated, but both can cause acute and chronic liverdisease, which, under certain conditions, can progress toprimary hepatocellular carcinoma. EBV is a herpes virusthat can cause mononucleosis. However, EBV has alsobeen linked to Burkitt lymphoma and nasopharyngealcarcinoma, and it has been implicated in some forms ofHodgkin disease and gastric carcinoma. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), also known as Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus, is related to EBV. It was first identified in thetumor DNA of a patient with Kaposi sarcoma, a raretumor until the aids epidemic, when it became one of themost common causes of cancer deaths among aidspatients. HHV-8 is also believed to play a role inCastleman disease and body cavity lymphoma. Finally,human T lymphotropic virus type 1 leads to a rare tumor,adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, in the Far East and theCaribbean basin, as well as to some nonneoplasticdiseases.“It used to be a job to convince people that viruses werean important part of the cancer story. There had been a lotof research, but people just didn’t believe it. Theywondered, for example, why so many people who areinfected don’t get cancer,” says Miller. “We had to fill inthe details. Now people pretty much accept the idea.”“When I arrived at Yale in 1983, people didn’t thinkthese viruses were important to cancer,” DiMaio says.“At conferences the human papillomavirus was alwaysthe last talk of the meeting. Now it’s taken center stage.”That’s partly because, of all the viruses found to play anetiologic role in human cancers, the HPV types (16 and18) linked to cervical cancer are probably the bestunderstoodand the ones that hold the greatest promise forvaccines to be used for prevention and treatment.-41- Traditional African Clinic November 2009Tight corsets and HPVEarly thinking on cervical cancer and what causes itwould hardly suggest such a rosy scenario. In 1842 anItalian physician in Florence observed that marriedwomen in the city were getting cervical cancer, but nunsin nearby convents weren’t. Although this observationwould seem to point to a link between sexual activity andcervical cancer, the physician did not make thisconnection. He also observed that nuns had higher ratesof breast cancer, and suggested that the nuns’ corsetsContinued on page 42

Continued from page 41 – Virus behind the Cancerwere too tight. “Clearly they had no clue,” DiMaio says,“but the observation was significant.”Beginning in 1975, the virologist Harald zur Hausen,M.D., D.Sc., figured out what had eluded the Florentinephysician. Zur Hausen, who for 20 years headed theGerman Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, showedthat HPV, a common infection spread through skin-toskincontact and sex, could lead to cervical cancer. Heand his research team successfully isolated severalgenotypes of the virus, some of which they linked togenital warts and others to cervical cancer.Today, cervical cancer is responsible for 250,000 deathseach year worldwide, according to Charles J. Lockwood,M.D., the Anita O’Keefe Young Professor of Women’sHealth and chair of the Department of Obstetrics,Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. In the UnitedStates, where early screening has greatly reduced themortality rate due to cervical cancer, about 5,000 womena year still die of the disease.“From a mortality standpoint, the problem in this countryis largely contained, but worldwide it’s a huge problem,”says Lockwood. “From a financial standpoint it remains amajor problem in this country. The cost of surveillanceand preventive treatments is astronomical ($200 million ayear just for screening), and a woman who has multiplesurgical treatments for precancerous conditions of thecervix, such as cone biopsies or loop electrocauteryexcision procedures, is at a higher risk of giving birth to apreterm baby.”Even though cervical cancer in this country is largelyunder control, women still get it, and when they do, it canbe devastating. Thomas J. Rutherford, Ph.D., M.D., FW’94, associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology andreproductive sciences and director of gynecologicaloncology, recalls a patient in her mid-30s who waspregnant. The results of a routine Pap smear wereabnormal. A colposcopy revealed a very high-gradesquamous cell lesion. To save his patient’s life,Rutherford recommended an immediate radicalhysterectomy, but that would have meant losing the baby.“The patient finally agreed,” Rutherford says, “but afterthe surgery she said to me, ‘I can’t believe I gave up oneof my children.’ It was a difficult choice she made, butshe probably would have died if she hadn’t.”Another patient was a 20-year-old college student whohad adenocarcinoma of the cervix, which is also causedby HPV. She underwent a cone biopsy, but the Pap smearstill revealed abnormalities in her cervical cells, “Wecouldn’t repeat the procedure, because she wanted tohave children,” Rutherford recalls. “We put everythingon the table: This is the situation. Your best option is tohave a child now.” The patient took Rutherford’s adviceand had a baby, after which Rutherford performed aradical hysterectomy. “There she was, getting married,having a baby and then having a hysterectomy, all beforeshe turned 21,” he says. “I assure you that wasn’t whatshe foresaw for herself.”Even when a patient isn’t diagnosed with a precancerouslesion, the ordeal of getting a positive test result, goingback for more tests and possibly having to have acolposcopy or a biopsy before finally getting a clean billof health is stressful. “It’s also a very expensive way toprevent cervical cancer,” Brandsma says. “It’s a lot ofmoney and anxiety.”A far better approach, she and other HPV experts say,would be to vaccinate people against the disease.Researchers at Yale and elsewhere have been working ontwo types of vaccines with promising results. Aprophylactic vaccine being developed at the NationalCancer Institute and the University of Washington,among other places, would prevent infection bygenerating a neutralizing antibody. Brandsma, DiMaioand other researchers at Yale and elsewhere are workingon a therapeutic vaccine that would generate killer T-cellsthat could recognize tumor cells as being foreign anddestroy them. “Cervical cancer is the ideal cancer inwhich to demonstrate the principle of anticancervaccines, because we know what the tumor antigens are.Viral E6 and E7 are the oncoproteins expressed in alllesions. They’re always required,” Brandsma says.Two versions of the prophylactic vaccine have shownencouraging results in clinical trials. Both preventedpersistent infection by the HPV types contained in thevaccine in 100 percent of vaccinated women and reducedcervical abnormalities by more than 90 percent. Merck &Co., the maker of one vaccine, reported in the fall of 2005that, in a Phase III trial of more than 12,000 women, thevaccine prevented virtually 100 percent of growths thatcan lead to cervical cancer. The company has sinceannounced plans to file for approval with the U.S. Foodand Drug Administration before the end of the year.GlaxoSmithKline, maker of the other vaccine, reportedsimilarly positive results with its clinical trials and plansto seek approval in Europe and other countries in 2006.Once a vaccine is in widespread use, experts predict animmediate 44 to 70 percent reduction in abnormal Papsmears and a long-term reduction of close to 95 percentin cervical cancer rates. As promising as these numbersare, the vaccine also has limitations, chief among thembeing that three injections are required and the vaccinemust be kept refrigerated. Especially in developingcountries, where the need for a vaccine is the greatest,-42- Traditional African Clinic November 2009Continued on page 43

Continued from page 43 – Virus behind the Cancerthese obstacles have the potential to limit the vaccine’sefficacy. Another limitation is that, although the vaccineprevents infection by the most common high-risk HPVtypes, less common high-risk HPV types are notincluded.Beyond that, the vaccine raises thorny social issues. Tomaximize its effectiveness, it should be given to girlsbetween the ages of 9 and 12, before they becomesexually active. Already, some religious groups haveraised concerns that this will be interpreted as a license toengage in premarital sex.“These vaccines could provide a huge public healthbenefit,” Lockwood says. “To allow their introduction tobe blocked because of some extreme ideological positionis unconscionable and irrational. It would be a huge costsavings, and could save some young person from dying inher 20s or 30s.”Putting cancer genes to sleepVaccines are not the only approach to controlling cancerswith viral origins. Using the HeLa cell line, whichcontains HPV DNA, researchers have figured out that theproliferation of cervical cancer cells requires theexpression of the HPV oncogenes E6 and E7, which areexpressed by cervical carcinoma cells. These oncogenesinactivate the cancerous cells’ major tumor suppressorpathways, thereby allowing the cells to proliferate.An effective way to combat this, scientists have learned,is to induce a biological phenomenon known assenescence, an irreversible suspended animation of thecell, which acts as an important tumor suppressormechanism. DiMaio and his colleagues have determinedthat the introduction of the papillomavirus protein E2 tothe cell represses E6 and E7, halts cell growth andinduces senescence. So, although the tumor cells haveaccumulated essential mutations, they still depend on theviral proteins. DiMaio likens it to a house of cards. “Youneed many cards to build a multistory house, but thewhole edifice tumbles down if you remove the crucialcard at the bottom.“When we added E2, it induced senescence in a day ortwo,” DiMaio says. “This creates an important barrier totumor formation and growth. It also gives us a new modelto study senescence.” DiMaio says this is importantbecause the hope is that senescence can be applied toother cancers as well. Also, there’s great interest insomeday inducing senescence to block aging and agerelateddisease. “Half of my lab is focusing onsenescence,” he says.As the study of tumor virology continues to grow inimportance and application, a growing number of Yale-43- Traditional African Clinic November 2009researchers are investigating other pieces of the puzzle.John K. Rose, Ph.D., professor of pathology, is interestedin vaccines constructed from virus vectors. He iscollaborating with Brandsma’s and DiMaio’s labs todevelop HPV vaccines using a slightly differentapproach. The same antigen is involved, but instead ofinjecting DNA into the animal, as Brandsma does, heuses virus vectors. Rose is also in charge of a small unitthat has recently recruited two junior tumor virologists.Michael D. Robek, Ph.D., assistant professor ofpathology, studies replication of hepatitis B virus, andRobert E. Means, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology,studies ways that herpes viruses avoid the immuneresponse.More than 50 years ago, Henrietta Lacks was helplessagainst the cancer that destroyed her body, but today,thanks in part to her cells, researchers are closer than everto defeating that enemy, and the hope is that with theknowledge gained by studying HPV, other cancerfightingbreakthroughs will soon follow. YMJennifer Kaylin is a contributing editor of Yale Medicine.Originally published in Yale Medicine, Spring 2006http://yalemedicine.yale.edu/ym_sp06/virus.html☻☻☻☻☻☻Black Survival in Crisis: The Plight ofAfrikans in the Globalisation ofWestern (European) Culture“Vaccination is the implantation of disease; that is itsadmitted purpose. Disease-causing agents in vaccines aregenetically engineered and grown in putrid mixes ofblood, tissue and other substances from: monkey kidneys,chicken and duck embryos; dog, horse, rabbit, mouse,sheep and cow tissues. Toxic substances, such asaluminium, thimersol, formaldehyde, carbolic acid(phenol), antibiotics, acetone, alum, glycerine, yeast, etc.are also present. Vaccines, by their very nature, canactually render people more susceptible to disease bydepressing vital energy and diminishing the body’snatural resistance to disease. The RNA & DNA from 11species contaminate vaccines. Human tissue culturecontaining cells notably from the uterine cancer ofHenrietta Lacks, and human cells obtained from thedissected organs of aborted fetuses, can also be found inhuman vaccines. Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells (calledHeLa cells) were laboratory-proliferated and nowcontaminate cell lines in research labs around the globe.Back in the 1950s, HeLa cells were used to test poliovaccines. Other research uses of her cancer cells helpedto create the fields of molecular biology and virology.”http://www.blackherbals.com/black_survival_in_crisis.htm☻☻☻☻☻☻

Mission StatementOur aim at The African Traditional HerbalResearch Clinic is to propagate and promote theawareness in Afrikan peoples at home and abroad oftheir health, biodiversity, history and culturalrichness. We gather pertinent information on theseissues and disseminate these freely to our people inUganda, the rest of the continent, and anywhere inthe Diaspora where Afrikans are located…. One ofthe main ingredients for increasing poverty, sickness,exploitation and domination is ignorance of one'sself, and the environment in which we live.Knowledge is power and the forces that control ourlives don't want to lose control, so they won't stop atanything to keep certain knowledge from the people.Therefore, we are expecting a fight and opposition toour mission. However, we will endeavor to carryforward this work in grace and perfect ways.“Where there is no god, there is no culture.Where there is no culture, there is noindigenous knowledge. Where there is noindigenous knowledge, there is no history.Where there is no history, there is no scienceor technology. The existing nature is madeby our past. Let us protect and conserve ourindigenous knowledge.”☻☻☻☻☻☻C ALENDAR OF E VENTSSPECIAL EVENT: CLINIC OPENINGPLACE: AFRIKAN TRADITIONAL HERBAL RESEARCH CLINICTIME:Afrikan Traditional Herbal Research Clinic1175A Mukalazi Road, P.O. Box 29974Bukoto, Kampala, Uganda East AfricaPhone: +256 (0) 782 917 902Email: clinic@blackherbals.comADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTEDHerb of the MonthThe Magic of TurmericCurcuma longa L.by Ramesh MenonThe world today is discovering the magic of Turmeric.Indians knew it all along. Worldwide research is nowvalidating the medicinal properties of the root. In a quietcorner of Noida, the most modern town of Uttar Pradesh inIndia, scientists have discovered that turmeric hasproperties that can help fight cancer. Most of us think it isused in our cooking as curcumin; the bright yellow pigmentin the root gives color to the food. But Ayurveda, theancient form of Indian medicine, had recognized it to be abody cleanser having multiple medicinal properties.Scientific investigations are now showing that it can cure ahost of diseases. Indians have known the magical medicinalproperties of turmeric for ages. Ayurveda used it for thetreatment of many inflammatory conditions and diseaseslike arthritic and muscular disorders. It was also used totackle asthma, flatulence, colic and ringworm.But today, the versatility of turmeric in combating anumber of complex diseases like cancer and multiplesclerosis is amazing scientists abroad. A study by TheAmerican Association for Cancer Research in SanFrancisco, California, shows that turmeric could help lowerthe risk of cancer. Researchers found in laboratory tests thatcurcumin can enhance the cancer fighting power. A study atthe University of Texas, Arlington showed that turmerichelped prevent cancer with its anti-oxidant properties. TheUniversity of Arizona found in clinical trails that turmericcould improve morning stiffness, walking time andswelling in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Closer home, scientists at the Institute of Cytology andPreventive Oncology (ICPO) based in Noida, UttarPradesh, have recently found that curcumin protects thebody from the deadly Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) thatis the main cause for cervical cancer. This is how curcuminContinued on page 37Mailing AddressStreet Number and NameCity, Country, etc.BULK RATEUS POSTAGEPAIDPERMIT NO.00000-44- Traditional African Clinic November 2009