Boys who become the victims of sexual exploitation often miss out on help and support because they are more reluctant than girls to admit their abuse, a charity is warning.

Barnardos Cymru says while professionals are skilled at spotting the symptoms of abuse among girls, sexual stereotyping means that boys can slip through the net. Research found negative behaviour among boys tends to be taken at face value, while in girls it is more likely to be explored as a potential response to trauma. Barnardo's Cymru is calling for more awareness raising and training for professionals working with high risk groups of boys and young men, and more information and awareness raising for the boys themselves. Menna Thomas, Senior Policy Research Officer with Barnardos Cymru says the research found that, as with girls, boys who have negative experience of care and family life and those who become isolated from their peers are more vulnerable to sexual exploitation. "However, for boys there are a number of additional barriers which prevent them from being identified and, more importantly, from being able to speak up about their abuse."

ITV News, July 15, 2016

Parents often worry that their children who take stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at higher risk for substance abuse later. Males are diagnosed with ADHD at twice the rate of females. Now, a surprising new study finds that risk was actually lower when medicines such as Ritalin and Adderall were started earlier and taken longer. "Most notably, the risk of substance use in adolescents who had been treated at an earlier age and for a longer duration with stimulant ADHD medications was the same as for the general population of children," said study leader Sean Esteban McCabe. He is research faculty chair at the University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women and Gender. "The study found that the odds of reporting any substance use were over two times more likely among individuals who reported later onset [age 15 or older] and shorter duration [two years or less] of prescription stimulant medication therapy for ADHD as compared to those who initiated early [age 9 or younger] and for longer duration [six years or more]," McCabe said.

Health Day, July 15, 2016

California Department of Public Health reports more than 50 cases of meningococcal disease since January, mostly sporadic.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation clinics are yet to be supplied meningitis vaccines by Los Angeles County. The California Department of Public Health, which analyzed test results, has determined that the infection, like the majority others currently involved in the Southern California outbreak, is from the Serogroup C category.  This case brings the total number of gay men infected in all of Los Angeles county, including Long Beach, to 12.  A thirteenth case, a gay man who was diagnosed at the end of June, is also being explored. Most alarming is that of the 13 gay men infected, 12 have been infected since May. In a separate development, the California Department of Public Health (CDHP) is reporting that statewide there have been more than 50 cases of meningococcal disease since January.

The Pride LA, July 13, 2016

It's an issue that has been on the table for some time now. Should the HPV vaccine become mandatory for seventh graders in Allegheny County? "It's nothing communicable. It's sexually transmitted and should be the parent's decision," parent Jennifer Manns said. "With a lot of new vaccines, kids are getting sick," parent Christian Yates said. However, a panel of doctors at UPMC say the vaccine should become mandatory. On Wednesday, the Allegheny County Board of Health voted not to have the vaccine be required for both boys and girls around the age of 11 or 12."This vaccine is safe and effective. The problem is people aren't using it," Chairman of the Department of Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Dr. Jonas Johnson said.

CBS Pittsburgh, July 12, 2016

New research led by the University of Adelaide has confirmed that boy babies are much more likely to experience potentially life-threatening outcomes at birth than girls.

The research, which investigated data of more than 574,000 South Australian births over a 30-year period (1981-2011), is the first population-based study of its kind in Australia to confirm the presence of differences in birth outcomes based on the sex of the baby. The research team -involving the University of Adelaide's   Robinson Research Institute , the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, and the Pregnancy Outcome Unit of SA Health - evaluated the relationship between the babies' sex and adverse outcomes, such as pre-term birth, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure disorders, and gestational diabetes mellitus. The results were published online in the journal  PLOS ONE.

Health Canal, July 11, 2016

Adolescent girls with type 1 diabetes may have more negative perceptions about their illness compared with adolescent boys with type 1 diabetes, study data show. "The consistent findings of gender differences across the psychological measures implies that a tailored treatment approach for males and females with [type 1 diabetes] may be warranted," the researchers wrote.

Helio, July 11, 2016

UK: Call to give boys anti-cancer jab given to girls to protect them against throat, head and neck forms of the disease after rise in the number of cases 

Boys should be given the HPV jab alongside girls to prevent cancer and not doing so is 'discriminatory', scientists claim. It is already offered to 12 and 13 year old schoolgirls and is estimated to protect against 70 per cent of cervical cancers but the Government is reluctant to roll it out to males. The Department of Health is currently overseeing a pilot which launched last month to test the cost and effectiveness at offering the jab in some clinics.  But growing numbers of academics say it should be given to adolescent boys at the same time as girls to prevent cancers of the throat, head and neck. Research has shown that the numbers of head and neck cancers alone related to HPV has quadrupled since the 1990s and there are now nearly 2,000 a year.

Daily Mail, July 10, 2016

With rates of human papilloma virus on the rise, it is vital to immunise males as well as females, researchers believe

Millions of young British men are being denied a vaccine that could protect them from throat cancers in later life. Scientists say the problem is becoming increasingly worrying as rates of human papilloma virus (HPV) - a common sexually transmitted infection and the prime cause of these cancers - are now rising exponentially. Researchers want the government to include adolescent boys in the current vaccine programme that immunises girls aged 12 and 13 against HPV before they become sexually active. HPV in women is known to lead to cervical cancers. The vaccine, if extended to boys, would protect them in later life against HPV-related head and neck cancers. "If we want to eradicate male throat cancers - which are soaring in numbers - we need to act speedily and that means giving them the HPV vaccine we now give to girls," said Professor Mark Lawler of Queen's University Belfast.

The Guardian, July 9, 2016

The Weekly News Roundup is produced by The Partnership for Male Youth and is released every Monday. 

For more information contact Dennis J. Barbour, JD. News Roundup editor and President/CEO of the Partnership, at [email protected].