Based on a recent survey, the majority of Americans are unaware that HPV, the most prevalent STI in the country, can lead to a range of serious cancers.
One particular conclusion, that fewer people were aware that the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is connected to cervical cancer, startled the researchers.
HPV Could Cause Throat or Anal Cancers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that almost all sexually active women and men eventually contract HPV.
Over 42 million Americans presently possess at least one HPV strain, according to CDC estimates.
Each year, 13 million people become sick.
They discovered that, on average, two-thirds of respondents were aware of HPV.
In 2020, 70.2% of that population knew about the connection between the virus and cervical cancer, a significant 7.4% decline from 77.6% in 2014.
The falloff, according to the study’s principal author Eric Adjei Boakye, an assistant scientist at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, “was very shocking for us.” Just 30% of those who were aware of HPV were also aware that it could lead to throat or anal cancer.
The new findings coincide with a rise in anti-vaccine sentiment and a drop in childhood immunization rates in the United States.
The vaccine, which was initially authorized in 2006 for girls and young women to prevent cervical cancer, has long been met with hostility.
Since then, it has been upgraded to protect both men and women from head and neck, anal, and oral cancer.
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Vaccines Help to Prevent Cancer
Although it has just been approved for persons up to age 45, pre- and early-adolescent boys and girls have historically been the primary population for receiving the HPV vaccine.
Nine HPV strains that are known to cause cancer are protected against by the vaccination as it is currently administered.
According to a new study, among women in their early 20s who were the first cohort to receive the HPV vaccine, there was a 65% decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer from 2012 to 2019.
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