A 49 year old Qatari national has been hospitalised in the UK with a laboratory confirmed novel coronavirus.
The Health Protection Agency of the UK conducted laboratory testing and compared the sequencing of the virus isolate from the 49 year old Qatari national with information on a virus sequenced previously and obtained from a 60 year-old Saudi national who died following infection with a novel coronavirus. This comparison indicated 99.5% identity, with one nucleotide mismatch over the regions compared.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which includes viruses that cause the common cold and SARS. Given that this is a novel coronavirus the World Health Organization (WHO) is currently in the process of obtaining further information to determine the public health implications of these two confirmed cases.
With respect to these findings, WHO does not currently recommend any travel restrictions.
IPOL is used for primary and booster vaccination of infants, children and adults to protect against infection with Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 polioviruses causing poliomyelitis.
Gardasil® is funded for use for primary immunisation of girls from 12 years of age and young women to protect them from four types of human papillomavirus infection. Gardasil® is not funded but can be used for primary immunisation of females who are not eligible for funded vaccine and within the age group of 9 through 45 years and males aged 9 through 26 years to protect them from four types of human papillomavirus infection.
The Institute of Environmental Science & Research Limited (ESR) Sexually transmitted infections in New Zealand 2011 Surveillance Report identified decreasing numbers of new genital warts cases between 2008 and 2011, most notable in 2010 and 2011 and in females aged 15-19 years, corresponding with commencement of the HPV immunisation programme. The Genital Warts pages from the full report are available here. The full ESR report is available from the ESR Public Health Surveillance website.
A short YouTube DVD, The Story of HPV (Human Papillomavirus), provides information for women, parents and caregivers, health workers and students planning to work in the health sector about the human papillomavirus, the Gardasil® vaccine that helps to protect against HPV, and the importance of cervical screening and practising safer sex in protecting women's health.
