Take a stand for your health and prevent HPV
By: Mary Hannah Neil
Many females consider themselves immune to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and there are several factors about each STD that they may not know. According to the Centers for Disease
Take a stand for your health and prevent HPV
By: Mary Hannah Neil
Many females consider themselves immune to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and there are several factors about each STD that they may not know. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), HPV is the most prevalent STD in the US, and it is perhaps the most dangerous.
HPV is not a topic to be taken lightly. It can lead to cervical cancer in females or even genital warts. Neither of which can be cured.
According to USC Upstate health educator Sydney Will, the Gardasil vaccine does not prevent you from getting HPV all together, but it protects you from the four most cancer causing strains.
According to the CDC, there are over 600 strains of HPV. The Gardasil vaccine protects you from strains six, 11, 16, and 18. Types six and 11 are the genital warts strains, and types 16 and 18 lead to cervical cancer, which can be deadly.
The vaccine is recommended for all female ages 11 or 12 or females up to age 26 who have not previously been vaccinated. Gardasil is a three-dose series through a six month time period.
According to Dr. Nop Rotanasiripong, who wrote an article about sexual behaviors among college-aged women in the U.S., 20 million Americans aged 15-49 are infected with HPV, and six million become infected each year.
Not only is it the most common STD in the US, it is the most common among college students. Rotanasiripong also states that the number of college students ages 18-24 with HPV rose 16 percent over the past 10 years, and the majority were females.
Family nurse practitioner 