Teen cervical cancer vaccinations

Dr Loretta Brain from the School of Medicine at Manchester University joins the show

Britain is the latest European country to announce a vaccination programme against cervical cancer for school girls.

 

It is thought the jab could save some 700 lives a year, by protecting against two strains of the human papilloma virus, the main cause of cervical cancer. 

We ask just how common is cervical cancer, and how many lives are lost to it in Britain? Why will the first vaccinations start with 12- to 13-year-olds with a follow on campaign aimed at targeting girls up to 18 years of age? Which countries are most affected? Is the vaccine safe as we know very little at this stage about the long-term effects?

What are the main concerns of parents? Will it, as some people say, only serve to encourage underage sex among young girls? Finally are other European countries planning vaccination programmes and will it be extended to the developing world?
 
To tell us how it is all going to work Shiulie Ghosh is joined by Dr Loretta Brain from the School of Medicine at Manchester University.

Season of the Witch

Elderly women are blamed for illness and bad luck

Now many of you – or your children – will be celebrating Halloween this week but in some parts of the world being called a witch can mean the difference between life and death.

In Tanzania, thousands of people have been accused of witchcraft – most of them, elderly women blamed for illness and bad luck. These suspected witches are often beaten and attacked.

 

As Everywoman reports, in the past year alone, 100 women have been killed.

Walmartopia – The Musical

A new musical playing in New York

Wal-Mart is the biggest corporate retailer on earth but what would it be like if it took over the world? This is the satirical vision of two artists from Wisconsin who have created Walmartopia, a new musical playing in New York.

It tells the story of a single mother trying to support herself and her daughter on a Wal-Mart salary, who ends up travelling to the year 2037 – only to find America is now a totalitarian regime where everything from education, to health, to security is controlled by Wal-Mart.
 
Catherine Capellaro who wrote the story joins the show.

Argentina’s Heroines

Some of Argentina’s missing sons and daughters

Argentina is in the news after the election victory of Christina Kirchner, the country’s first elected female president. 

 

But Argentina’s past hides a dirty secret. Between 1976 and 1983 around 30,000 people were kidnapped and murdered by the military dictatorship.
 
These missing sons and daughters are called ‘the disappeared’. And for 30 years a group of women have been campaigning to find out what happened to them.

Everywoman went to meet the Mothers of the Plaza de Majho.

Watch this episode of Everywoman here:

Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-THozuWt0w

Part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CylQcBJXFMg

 

This episode of Everywoman aired from November 02, 2007.

 

---

To contact us click on ‘Send your feedback’ at the top of the page

Watch Al Jazeera English programmes on YouTube

Join our debates on the Your Views page