Campus Press

HPV: three simple letters that, combined, can hold so much meaning. HPV, better known as the Human Papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States and can be a precursor to cervical cancer in women.

In June 2006, Merck & Co. pharmaceuticals introduced a vaccination for HPV. It is the first ever pre-cancer vaccination. Gardasil is injected into a woman's arm or buttock.

The vaccination is given in three doses, the first of which is at a date of a woman's convenience. The second dose must be given two months after the first and the third dose is given four months after the second. In all, the vaccinating process takes six months and three visits to the doctor.

With this said, I think it's truly important and crucial for all women to be vaccinated for HPV, because it could save lives and prevent future visits to a woman's gynecologist.

According to the Centers for the Disease Control, approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV and about 6.2 million Americans will get a new genital HPV infection each year. It is estimated that at least 50 percent of sexually active people will contract HPV during their lifetime. For women, however, the numbers increase with age; by age 50, an estimated 80 percent of all women will have been exposed to HPV.

The vaccination is only approved for girls and women between the ages of nine and 26 because it is believed that after the age of 26, a woman will have already contracted the major strands of HPV and therefore the vaccination will not help protect her.

Considering we are in college and most of us are sexually active, I think it is only appropriate for women to get their annual examination, a Pap smear, and see if they have contracted the virus as of yet and get vaccinated.

HPV is a virus that contains 100 different strands, 30 of which are sexually transmitted. According to the Texas Monthly, of the 30 strands that are transmitted sexually, two of those cause 70 percent of cervical cancers and an additional two cause 90 percent of genital warts.

In this case, even if a woman has a Pap smear that comes back abnormal and shows signs of HPV, she still can receive the vaccination to protect her against the other strands that she has yet to contract.

HPV is not something that we should let slide by us and forget to ask our doctors about because cervical cancer is on the rise.

According to the American Cancer Society, they estimated that in 2005 there were 10,370 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in the United States and 3,710 women died from the disease that same year.

The virus is contracted by any sexual activity or skin-to skin-contact, involving direct contact of the genital areas, and it is easily transmitted without even knowing a person may be a carrier of the virus. Not to mention - it is yet to be proven if latex condoms help protect against the virus, meaning even if you are practicing safe sex, you may still contract the virus.

Some cases of HPV, such as genital warts, can clear up on their own, while other cases are more serious. If a woman has an abnormal Pap smear and her test results come back positive for the beginning stages of cervical cancer, she will have to undergo surgery in which a doctor will scrap the cancerous cells off of her cervix.

This is not a fun procedure by any means and a woman is then left with a lifetime of worry regarding if new cancer cells have emerged. In cases of precancerous cells growing on a woman's cervix, she will need to go and see her gynecologist at least every six months for a Pap smear to monitor the virus.

I know some think the vaccination is expensive, but the good news is most all health insurance companies are now covering the vaccination. If however, you find yourself to be uninsured, each shot costs on average $120, adding up to $360 total, not counting patients co-pay.

I know $360 is a great deal of money considering we are all poor hungry college students, but think of matters in the long run. Wouldn't you rather get checked now and pay $360 out of your own pocket instead of contracting cervical cancer and living a life less imaginable?

Contact Campus Press staff writer Elizabeth Stortroen at elizabeth.stortroen@thecampuspress.com.

Article Tools