Diane M. Harper, director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Research Group at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, warned that negative consequences may arise from making the human papilloma virus vaccine mandatory, the American Chronicle reported yesterday. Harper, who has spent more than 20 years studying HPV, noted that requiring the vaccine for girls under 18 may increase the chance of developing cervical cancer later in life. The HPV vaccine may wear off when women are older, making them more susceptible to the cancer. Since no tests of the vaccine's effectiveness on young girls have been conducted, it is also possible that adverse effects may result due to the vaccine's interactions with other vaccines administered to girls that age.
New Hampshire's House of Representatives is considering a bill to raise the highway speed limit to 70 mph, the Upper Valley News reported. Eighty-five percent of drivers already drive at a speed around 70 mph, Steve Vaillancourt, R-Manchester, a cosponsor of the bill, told the Valley News. The bill would raise the speed limit on New Hampshire's interstate system, the central and eastern New Hampshire turnpike and other divided highways of four or more lanes where the current speed limit is 65 mph. Divided highways and roads with a speed limit of 55 mph would not be affected. The legislation would also fine drivers who drive in the left lane when not passing other vehicles. The bill is cosponsored by David Smith, D-Nashua.
