Why there is so much ignorance about HPV?

Question

I am just curious, I thought that by now with the new HPV vaccine, there would be a lot more interest in this condition. I work with a lot of teenegers, and so few of them have not clue about HPV. Basic things like the fact that people can get it with condoms or without it, or that there are over 100 different strains, or that the new vaccine will cover about 70% of some of the main strains is like chinese to them. I have discovered that a lot of people that teach sex ed do not like to talk too much about HPV becasue it is a virus that you can often get even when you wear a condom (similar to Herpes), and they think that this might be in a way diminish the benefits of teaching to wear a condom. Also the fact that some people get HPV and get not sytoms (specially males who become carriers) might be a reason too. HPV can cause so much infertility and cancer, so I am very  curious to learn what people think, specially teens and young adults.

abfabmom1 · Accepted Answer

I think you have partially answered your own question.  Some are hesitant to teach about it because they feel it may diminish the message about using condoms.

It's also something that is fairly new to many of us...I'm 38, and didn't know about HPV until about the last year or so.  I think if you give it a few more years, it will become much more common knowledge.

FYI, you could probably ask a similar question about Chlamydia...Do any of the teenagers you work with know what that is?  My guess is that not enough of them know about it, but it's waaaay too common.  Honestly, if you sit for a while in the Pregnancy & Parenting section on this site, you'll see how many people are just completely uneducated when it comes to sex, sexuality and sexual health.  It's kinda sad, really.

Anonymous · Answer

Quite frankly the only way young teens are going to know about HPV is if their parents have it or one of their close friends has it.  Otherwise it will take a "hollywood new story" about a major actor contracting HPV for any buzz to spread.

. · Answer

Well some people arent informed about HPV so it causes them to be ingnorant. And there are commericals out about it now thats spreading the workd about HPV.

Zoey · Answer

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Why there is so much ignorance about HPV?

4 Answers