National Cervical Cancer Coalition unites women in joining the fight for education and early detection and prevention of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. National Cervical Cancer Coalition conducted two days conference at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in the heart of Washington, D.C.
HPV facts presented during the conference came from Heidi Bauer, M.D. MPH, California Department of Public Health and of the California STD/HIV Prevention Training center included:
— Currently, there are more than 20 million people infected with a genital HPV infection in the U.S.
— There are 6.2 million new HPV infections annually, with more than 80 percent of people (men and women) acquiring the infection at some point in their lives
— Sixty percent of girls will contract the HPV infection by the time they are 16 years of age or within 4 years of sexual debut.
— Of the girls infected, 2/3 will clear the infection within 2 years without intervention, although 10 percent will not be able to clear infection at all and will go on to develop high-risk HPV or cervical cancer
— HPV is considered the “common cold” of STIs
— Strains 16 and 18 account for more than 70 percent of HPV infections
— Type 16 is responsible for more than half of all cervical cancers, which Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline) and Gardasil (Merck) are designed to specifically target