HPV Awareness
IT’S ALL ABOUT CANCER PREVENTION
Human papillomavirus ( HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally, and may be one of the most poorly understood by the general public. Roughly 80 percent of sexually active adults will be exposed to the virus at some point in their lives and it has been directly implicated in the development of not only cervical cancers, but also other cancers including anal cancer, penile cancer, and throat cancer. And, because we have vaccines against HPV, we’re in a strong position to help prevent these cancers if we can successfully build awareness through a wellinformed conversation.
In pursuit of that, the VICE office in Toronto recently hosted a Facebook Live event inviting experts to talk about HPV awareness and prevention. Present on stage were Dr. Vivien Brown, Past President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada ( FMWC), sexual health advocate Anubha Momin, and Tyler Puley, Co-Founder of TEALPOWER, an awareness group focused on fighting cervical cancer. With this diverse lineup, the event addressed some of the most common questions about HPV and what we can do to help reduce HPV-related cancers in Canada.
Taking a proactive approach
By helping prevent HPV through immunization, we have the ability to help prevent some HPV-related cancers, and that’s a rare opportunity. “In this conversation surrounding HPV and cancer, what’s so exciting is that it’s preventable,” says Dr. Brown. “If I could give you a vaccine to prevent colon cancer or breast cancer, we wouldn’t be talking about sex or how you get the cancer. We’d just say, ‘Sign me up.’”
Public immunization programs now exist across Canada for both boys and girls beginning at the age of 9, but the vaccines are also approved by Health Canada for men up to the age of 26 (quadrivalent and nonavalent vaccines) and women up to the age of 45 ( bivalent, quadrivalent, and nonavalent vaccines).
Other ways to help prevent HPV include limiting your number of sexual partners, using condoms, and quitting smoking. Regular cervical cancer screening (or Pap tests) is also important to help catch abnormal cells before they develop into cervical cancer.
This conversation can save lives
The fundamental truth is that these cancers can kill both Canadian men and women, and awareness and education can help reduce HPV-related cancers. Puley lost his partner, Alison Salinas, to cervical cancer in 2015, and he’s committed to raising awareness so that others may live. “Watching someone you care about go through cervical cancer, both the disease itself as well as the treatment of the disease, is extremely scary and difficult,” Puley says. “That’s why conversations like this are so important.”
Moving the conversation forward requires taking control of our sexual health and talking proactively about STIs like HPV. “Your sexual health is a part of your overall health and wellbeing,” says Momin. “We should be talking about it with our friends, holding each other accountable, reducing stigma, and normalizing the process of testing and vaccination.”
Canada forged a bold path last year by becoming the fi rst country in the world to designate a national HPV Prevention Week, achieved through the advocacy of FMWC and other committed groups. The second annual prevention week is coming up in October, but it’s never too early to take a proactive approach to help reduce your risk.