4 - The Dangerous Clout of a Sexually Transmitted Virus

Summary

HPV is the world’s most common sexually transmitted infection: most of us have already acquired it by the time we become adults. While HPV is also the key source of cancer, in theory, it should pose little threat. Medical science already possesses a superior means of tracking, monitoring, and stopping this virus from becoming cervical cancer, and the body carries a natural ability to clear it. And yet, it’s society’s hang-ups about HPV – the stigma of acquiring it through sexual contact – that often get in the way of rationally addressing cervical cancer through widespread vaccination and screening. To encourage people to embrace these two highly effective means of prevention, we must dispel the mysteries of HPV and embrace its ubiquity. If we want to eliminate a cancer caused by a common viral infection, we need to take a closer look at the misguided notions associated with HPV – fears that only foster its spread – and be prepared to defuse them.