International HPV Awareness Day04 March 2022
The 4th March marks International HPV Day, established in 2018 by the International Papillomavirus Society IPVS, to increase awareness of the risks associated with the Papilloma Virus and to spread the importance of prevention, screening and treatment of related diseases.
Papilloma is a highly prevalent virus that can be sexually transmitted and can cause a variety of diseases: from benign but very annoying diseases such as genital condylomas to tumours (4.5% of all new cancer cases worldwide): 0.8% in men; 8.6 in women AIRC SOURCE).
Vaccinating against HPV is one of the 12 actions recommended by the World Health Organisation to "prevent" cancer, and Italy was the first European country, in 2007, to plan a free immunisation strategy for 12-year-old girls and boys.
#regalatevilasalute, the educational campaign launched in collaboration with the LBA to promote the theme of sexual wellbeing and raise awareness among young people of the importance of preventing sexually transmitted diseases, is supporting World HPV Day to convey the importance of prevention through access to the vaccine to as many people as possible.
More specifically, Sergio Pecorelli - Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Brescia, Adjunct Professor at Yale University Medical School and Chairman of the Scientific Board of the #regalatevilasalute Campaign - together with Dr Elena Bonetti in the video message remind us how Awareness, Sex Education and Prevention are three fundamental tools to fight the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Professor Pecorelli's full speech, together with an in-depth analysis by Dr Silvia Bonetti - a member of the scientific board of #regalatevilasalute - is available at regalatevilasalute.it