By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: HPV Tops Talk of Cervical Health Awareness Month
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > HPV Tops Talk of Cervical Health Awareness Month
Public Health

HPV Tops Talk of Cervical Health Awareness Month

Holly Hosler
Holly Hosler
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

It’s a topic that we ladies don’t often like to talk about – our annual GYN exam. If you’re a woman or a gynecologist, you know the drill. As we lean back on the exam table and look up at the ceiling, the gynecologist inevitably tells us to scoot down a little more.

It’s a topic that we ladies don’t often like to talk about – our annual GYN exam. If you’re a woman or a gynecologist, you know the drill. As we lean back on the exam table and look up at the ceiling, the gynecologist inevitably tells us to scoot down a little more.

Recent years have brought some cervical cancer screening relief through the development of the more accurate ThinPrep Pap test (which can involve one specimen collection instead of two) and the recommendation from the American College of Gynecologists that if a woman is age 30 or older and has three consecutive normal Pap tests, she can therefore have these tests every three years instead of every one to two years. So now, if you’re a woman, there’s really no excuse to not get screened for cervical cancer.

January is Cervical Cancer Screening and Cervical Health Awareness Month. According to a joint press release from the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) and the American Social Health Association (ASHA), “Each year in the U.S. approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and more than 4,000 die as a result. The true tragedy of the disease is that cervical cancer screening tests and vaccines exist that can prevent virtually every case.

More Read

Will Killing the Individual Mandate Derail Healthcare Reform?
High Quality, Low Cost HealthCare Video Interview Series: Herbert Ong from Healthentic Talks Corporate Wellness
Wellbeing Starts in the C-Suite
Medical Myths Exposed: Do We Want Truth or Zeus?
Improving the US Health System: Biggest Obstacles

This year, the NCCC and ASHA are focusing on increasing the number of young women who receive the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, which protects against several strains of HPV which cause 70% of the cases of cervical cancer and 90% of genital warts cases.

“The goal of the vaccine is to make HPV not as prevalent in the general population,” says Dr. Dee-Dee Shiller, gynecologist and director of the Women’s Wellness Center at Northwest Hospital. With the vaccine, “we are wiping out a virus,” just as polio and other diseases have been controlled through immunizations. “I’m hoping that in 15 years, I won’t know how to treat an abnormal Pap smear,” says Dr. Shiller, reflecting her passion that she wants to see cervical cancer eradicated through vaccinations.

The HPV vaccine has the power to save lives, but fewer than half of the girls and young women who are eligible for the vaccine have received it. Perhaps that’s because of the fear of some parents that the vaccine sends an implicit message to teens that it’s okay to be sexually active. However, there are two reasons why this need not be a fear. First, the vaccine works best when given to someone (both girls and boys can be vaccinated) who has never had sex before – preferably two years prior to sexual activity. (Those who have had sex can still receive the vaccine; it’s recommended up to age 26.) Second, HPV is ubiquitous, and it’s not transmitted solely through sexual activity. Dr. Shiller says it can be acquired through tanning beds. “I have had patients who are monogamous and even virgins who have had HPV,” says Dr. Shiller.

Because the CDC estimates that 26 percent of girls between the ages of 13 and 19 have a sexually transmitted disease and 18 percent have HPV, it’s wise for girls to receive the HPV vaccine at a young age. Most family practitioners recommend the vaccine be given at age 11 or 12.

If you’re a woman, are you up-to-date on your cervical cancer screenings? Have you or your children received the HPV vaccine?

– Holly Hosler

 

TAGGED:cancer screeningcervical cancerHPV
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

What Causes Inflammation? A Comprehensive Look At The Causes and Effects Of Inflammation (part 2)

April 9, 2012
BusinessPolicy & LawPublic Health

The Misconception That American Has The Best Healthcare In The World

February 8, 2012
primary care providers
Public HealthWellness

Boomer Voice: The Perfect HealthCare Provider (IMHO)

July 30, 2013

Medicaid Should Not Impoverish Doctors and Hospitals

July 28, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?