Talking With Others About The HPV Virus
Mention the words sexually transmitted disease during a group conversation and don’t be surprised if no one raises their hand saying “me me me, I have a STD”. In our society, admitting to having a sexually transmitted disease is socially unheard of. Perhaps this is the reason that even though the majority of the population has HPV, no one seems to know much about it. We don’t talk about it. STD’s are something that so and so has, but not us.
 What is important to remember is that whenever we are talking about something new, we create awareness. How many things can you think of that not long ago were unheard of… Then word got out and now everyone knows. It doesn’t matter if the facts have been proven, if not everyone knows the facts. Example: the Earth is round, the icecaps are melting, Milli Vanilli didn’t sing their own songs.
This should be the same with the Human Papillomavirus. Telling others about HPV and spreading the word is the most effective way to not only create awareness but also to inform and educate. The more we know about something, the more questions we may come up with, the more questions we ask. If each of us talk with our friends and family about HPV, and just one person out of those we talk to goes to their doctor to get a pap smear and ask more questions, this would be a success.
Cervical Cancer is a preventable disease. We just need to know ahead of time to take steps to remove the problem causing cellular changes on our cervix before they become cancer. If in 10 years you had a friend living with cervical cancer, and you had the ability to go back in time to today and help stop the cancer before it even starts… Would you?? Don’t wait till its too late, do it now!
Talk to your friends and family. Discuss with those you care about how a pap smear is the best start to prevention of cervical cancer. Thousands of women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. Thousands of women diagnosed with a cancer that could have been prevented. Talk about HPV, prevent cancer.
