Design: Michael Li Preti and Paola Cortez via Flare
This story first appeared on Flare.com
Sexually active women between the ages of 25 and 45 are now being encouraged to get the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as a way of reducing their risk of HPV-related cancers, thanks to a new campaign from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.
Up until now, HPV vaccination programs have mainly targeted girls and young women between the ages of nine to 25, as a form of prevention. That?s because the vaccine works best before sexual exposure?so much so that boys are now offered the vaccine in many provinces, including Ontario.
But, as the new campaign notes, ?the incidence of HPV is increasing among women in their 30s and 40s,? causing many believe the vaccine may prove beneficial into adulthood. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections out there: an estimated 75 percent of sexually active Canadians will wind up with an HPV-related STI at one point in their lives. HPV?s ubiquity shouldn?t be taken for granted, says Dr. Jennifer Blake, Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. While most infections will clear up on their own, some high-risk HPV strains don?t. Persistent exposure to the higher-risk forms of HPV can develop into pre-cancerous lesions, and over time, even cancer of the cervix, vulva and vagina.
?Pre-cancers are real and cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer in Can...