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Papillomavirus Essay

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According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). I wasn’t aware that it impacts so many people; SIECUS reports that each year there are approximately 6.2 million new cases of HPV and that 75% of people between ages 15 and 49 have had a genital HPV infection. This isn’t something that I hear about as an adult male in this country. Before conducting research, I was only aware that HPV was tied to cervical cancer and there was a vaccine for young women. In the last decade, the understanding of HPV has increased considerably. Although schools don’t require the vaccination it’s recommended that children age 11-12. People have till their mid-20’s to receive a “catch up” immunization. HPV is responsible for causing more than 90% of anal and cervical cancers, about 70% of vaginal and vulvar cancers, and more than 60% of penile cancers and HPV is linked to 70% of oropharynx cancers (CDC, 2015). Not all people infected have complications, in fact, most people are asymptomatic and …show more content…

Apparently phones can help spread the word about who has what as Docktermas (2014) relays in the article, “STD Tests: There's an App for That.” The company originally marketed the app by stating that it would help you “get you lei'd." They changed their verbiage after it became clear how offensive it was to Hawaiians. The app is designed as a health tool to help educate young Americans on how to locate STD test centers, get results electronically and then share their results with people of their choosing. That’s a start at least. With half of college students not using condoms and with STD treatments costing $16 billion annually something has to change. I’m not a big fan of social media to begin with; I’m not sure how comfortable I would be using this app to exchange private medical

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