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
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    photo of hands with blue veins
    8 Proven Tips on Finding Difficult Veins
    November 12, 2021
    tips for getting over the pandemic blues
    4 Proven Ways to Get Over the Pandemic Blues
    February 22, 2022
    medical industry innovations
    How is CNC Machining Transforming the Medical Industry?
    June 2, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    July 31, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    comparative negligence
    Not Knowing About Comparative Negligence Can Worsen Your Medical Debt
    April 12, 2023
    racial disparities in healthcare
    Why We Need to Address Racial Disparities in Maternal Health Care
    August 26, 2021
    Enhancing Pharmaceutical Patient Compliance & Drug Efficacy
    February 12, 2024
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • 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

Time to Buy That Pet
Dr. Kevin Campbell Discusses Heart Health for Women
Examining Whether Socialized Medicine Will Ever Happen in America
Revolution in Lab Testing: Theranos
Improving Quality of Life for People with Chronic Diseases

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

5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Musings on 2012 Health IT

January 1, 2012
FinanceHealth ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic Health

The Meaning and Depth of the Primary Care Crisis

March 25, 2014

Racial Health Disparities Among People with Chronic Conditions in the US: Facts and Statistics

July 25, 2013

Adverse Drug Reactions Responsible for Nearly 100K Acute Hospitalizations in Elderly

November 28, 2011
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?