Latest news with #teens
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Areas of UK where young people could be at greater risk of cancer linked to oral sex - do YOU live in one of them?
Almost three quarters of teens in some parts of England are missing out on a crucial anti-cancer vaccine, health officials warned today. The jab is offered to children aged 12 to 13 to protect them against human papillomavirus. Infection with the virus—also known as HPV —can trigger several types of cancers, including those in the head, neck and cervix. HPV is commonly spread through vaginal, anal and oral sex with someone who is already infected, with around a third of people infected at any one time. While a highly HPV effective vaccine has been offered to all girls in Year 8 since 2008, and all boys since 2019, latest data shows as few as a third of children in some areas of England are not getting it—leaving them vulnerable in later life. Experts have now urged parents to ensure their child gets the vaccine, labelling it 'one of the most powerful tools we have for cancer prevention'. It comes amid a documented rise in head and neck cancers, particularly among younger and middle-aged patients, which has been linked to HPV spreading via oral sex. Research has suggested that HPV may be responsible for up to 70 per cent of head and neck cancers. The virus is also responsible for almost all (99.7 per cent) of all cases of cervical cancer, a form of the disease that develops in a women's cervix. Nationally, more than one in four young people eligible for the jab haven't taken up the jab, according to data for the 2023 to 2024 academic year. But, analysis shows that uptake is far lower in certain parts of the nation. The borough of Brent in north-west London recorded the lowest HPV uptake of any local area, with only one in four girls in Year 9—aged 13 or 14—having had the jab. It was the affluent borough of Kensington and Chelsea, however, which recorded the lowest uptake for boys in Year 9—with just 25.8 per cent taking up the vaccine. Meanwhile, among Year 10 students—aged 14 or 15—vaccination levels in girls ranged from 38.7 per cent (Lambeth in London) to 97.6 per cent (Northumberland). Among boys, it ranged from 28.2 per cent (Lambeth in London) to 92.2 per cent (West Berkshire). Dr Sharif Ismail, consultant epidemiologist at UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: 'The HPV vaccine, now just a single dose offered in schools, is one of the most powerful tools we have for cancer prevention. 'Every vaccination represents a young person with better protection against the devastating impact of HPV-related cancers, and we must do more to ensure that no teenage girl or boy, young woman or man is denied that protection no matter where they live. 'We're calling on all parents to return their children's HPV vaccination consent forms promptly. 'This simple action could protect your child from developing cancer in the future.' Dr Ismail said any young adult up to age 25 who missed their school jab can also speak to their GP about catch-up options. He also urged women to still attend cervical screening to ensure they are being checked for changes that could lead to cervical cancer. Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell added: 'Thanks to the power of research and the efforts of NHS staff, a future where almost nobody gets cervical cancer is in sight. 'This progress hinges on people's access to two life-saving offers—HPV vaccination and screening. Together, they give the best protection against the disease. 'Beating cervical cancer means beating it for everyone, so I encourage all parents and guardians to ensure young people don't miss out on getting the HPV vaccine. 'And if you receive your cervical screening invite, don't ignore it.' Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: 'The NHS HPV vaccination programme has already helped save thousands of lives and we need to go further to boost uptake of HPV vaccines and cervical screening to help eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040. 'If we can ensure that almost every Year 10 girl in some areas is protected and extremely unlikely to ever develop cervical cancer, we need to match this in every part of the country.' Roughly two women in Britain every day die from cervical cancer, which famously killed TV personality Jade Goody at the age of just 27. The disease is often called a 'silent killer' because its symptoms can be easily mistaken for less serious problems, such as heavy periods and exhaustion. But if the signs are recognised early, the chance of surviving for at least five years is roughly 95 per cent. This drops to 15 per cent if the cancer is detected at later stages, when it has spread to other areas of the body. Children are offered the HPV jab in early adolescence because it is considered to be most effective if given before someone becomes sexually active. UKHSA highlighted the low rates of HPV vaccine uptake as part of Cervical Cancer Screening Awareness week. Currently women aged 25 to 49 in the UK are invited for a cervical screening check at their GP surgery every five years. They were previously offered screening every three years, but this was r ecently changed after the longer time period was found to be just as effective. For those aged between 50 and 64, it is offered every five years. Screening is arguably all the more important for women aged 34 and above, who did not receive a vaccine that protects against the vast majority of cervical cancers as part of the school programme introduced in 2008. Depending on the result of the smear test, some women may be recalled earlier than the three-year routine intervals. But screening uptake overall remains low. Only around 70 per cent of eligible women, roughly 4.6million, turn up for their scheduled test. Embarrassment is a factor, according to research by cervical cancer charities.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Health
- Reuters
Teens turn to weight loss drugs in fight against childhood obesity
Roughly 8 million American teens are living with obesity - that's one in five. For many, their weight has become a painful physical and emotional burden, isolating them from their peers as they struggle to slim down. But now there is another option: weight-loss drugs. Reuters reporters spent more than a year closely following four teenagers who joined a small but fast-growing cohort choosing to take this medication. This video contains content some people may find distressing. Lauren Roback reports.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
I'm a mom of 5 and thought work would get easier as the kids got older. I was wrong.
I'm a mom of five kids ranging from ages 5 to 17. I thought having teens would be easier than having toddlers for my career. Turns out teens are even more demanding, and I need to give myself grace. As the mother of five kids, four of whom were born in six years, I have spent all of my 17 years of parenting working from home in some capacity. And in those 17 years, I've been successful under the definition of a capitalist viewpoint. The first year I hit a profit with my writing business was the same year I birthed my fourth child. I went viral, was interviewed by Good Morning America, and churned out work at a rate that left many people wondering how I did it all, considering my oldest child was only 6 and my husband worked several jobs. I struggled to balance it all, but I remember thinking that that time in my life, full of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, would be the hardest part of my life. I just had to make it through, and then I could coast. I was so terribly wrong. Now that most of my kids are tweens and teens, I find myself in the weeds of parenting all over again, but this time I'm somehow even more exhausted, confused, and overwhelmed. Instead of dealing with potty training and tantrums, I'm dealing with teen drivers, volatile emotions, and big life decisions. I feel frustrated and guilty, like I'm doing something wrong for somehow being less productive as the mother of older kids. I think part of it is that when they were small, there was a routine that let me get some work done. There were daily nap times I could count on, movies I could turn on, or playdates I could schedule. But with teens, I am never off the clock. I'm always a text away, and with a teen driver, I feel like I can't not be available 24/7. Also, older kids take up more space, are louder, and have more intense needs than I anticipated. Every day feels like a circus show of juggling, and I'm kind of holding my breath and hoping I'll have enough breathing room to manage any work. While a cartoon and snuggles could suffice with a toddler, teenagers require 50 memes, a thoughtful conversation, and probably Chick-fil-A to connect. I feel a pressure to be emotionally available in a way I didn't when they were younger, and that makes it hard to switch back and forth to work mode when working from home. I don't want to be resentful of being "interrupted," and of course, I want to be there for my kids and hear all the details and be available for their lives. I want to be that person for them, and I'm all too aware how fast and fleeting it all is, and I could lose one of them next year to college. You know the guilt heaped on moms of young kids about how fast it all goes, so you better soak it in? Well, as a mom of teens, that guilt is magnified by about a million because this is exactly the time they were talking about — we're living the slow slippage of our kids out of our lives daily. I want to embrace it, soak it in, and be here for it. But I also have to pay my bills, and I don't know how to do both right now. I'm trying some new things, like getting noise-cancelling headphones, setting more firm boundaries about when I can and can't be interrupted, and trying to shift more of my morning chores to later in the day so I have more work time. The pressures and intensity of this stage feel a lot like the new parent stage all over again, only without the cute baby to cuddle. I still have plenty of sleepless nights, too — watching your child on Life360 is the new baby monitor. Maybe I just need to give myself the same amount of grace (and coffee) as I did back then. Read the original article on Business Insider
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
The Wegovy effect: A new drug reshapes the lives of teens wih obesity
High-school freshman Austin Smith sank into depression from the merciless teasing and bullying he endured from his classmates over his weight.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is it hard to find a summer job this year? Hear from kids
Looking for a summer job? If so, you aren't alone. These teens from Toronto, Ontario, are, too. Hear from them about what it's like to apply for jobs for summer 2025.
