5 Things You May Not Know About HPV

5 Things You May Not Know about HPV

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. When we think about cervical health, we also think about human papillomavirus (HPV).

But, HPV does not only cause cervical cancer. HPV infections can also lead to cancers of the throat and genital regions other than the cervix, including the anus, penis, vagina, and vulva. Some types of HPV cause painful and unsightly genital warts.

Test your knowledge of HPV with these questions, then see if you're right by checking out the article:

Of every 10 people, how many will get HPV at some time in their life?

Which country is expected to be the first to eliminate cervical cancer?

Of every 10 cases of throat cancer, how many are caused by HPV?

Which provides better immunity to HPV — natural infection or vaccination?

How many doses of HPV vaccine have been given in the U.S. alone?

News & Notes

Vax Talk — Alternative Vaccine Schedules with Dr. Paul Offit

Parents sometimes wonder whether too many vaccines overwhelm their children’s immune systems. To ease this fear, they often ask healthcare providers to spread out vaccines instead of following the schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But are these “alternative schedules” a good idea?

In this Vax Talk podcast, Dr. Paul Offit explains the science behind the recommended vaccine schedule and the dangers of delaying vaccines.

Vax Talk is produced by the parent-led organization called Voices for Vaccines. You can learn more about their efforts at voicesforvaccines.org.

Shot of Prevention video blog

Shot of Prevention, the popular blog hosted by Vaccinate Your Family, has added a new video feature. The video series will feature Taryn Chapman, creator of The Vaccine Mom blog. Chapman is a molecular biologist and medical writer. The topic of the first video is flu vaccine.

Smart Travel Enrollment Program

U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad can sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive the latest security updates for their location. Offered by the U.S. Department of State, the free service enables the U.S. embassy or consulate to contact its citizens in an emergency.

Learn more about STEP and enroll today.

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, it is also a good idea to keep the U.S. embassy number handy in case of an emergency:

From the U.S. or Canada: 1-888-407-4747
From other countries: 00-1-202-501-4444