La version française sera ici bientôt With so much media attention being paid to HPV, cervical cancer and the new vaccination against it, you may be wondering: what exactly is HPV? How does it relate to cervical cancer? Is the vaccine worth getting? HPV, or the human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted viral infection in the world. HPV is contracted through skin-to-skin contact, which means that you can get HPV even without having intercourse. With only one sex act, with or without penetration, a person has a 40% chance of contracting HPV. You can imagine how the chance of contracting HPV increases with every sexual act a person has! In fact, it is estimated that up to 75% of Canadians will have HPV at some point in their lives. This estimate includes 63% of all16-18 year olds. While everyone is at risk of contracting HPV, there are several factors that may make a person more at risk: Being sexually active at a young age The number of partners a person has The age at which one had their first sexual encounter (specifically women) If the person smokes (specifically women) If the person uses oral contraceptives (specifically women) If the person is uncircumcised (specifically men) Although 80% of infections of HPV are treatable, some diseases such as diabetes or Chron’s disease make it more difficult for the body to get rid of. Also, although condoms are extremely useful in preventing a variety of sexually transmitted infections, since HPV is contracted through skin-to-skin contact condom use only reduces the likelihood of contracting HPV by 70%. Although over 100 types of HPV have been identified, there are four types that are especially harmful: types 6/11/16/18. Types 6 and 11 are the strains that cause genital and anal warts. Types 16 and 18 are the two main types that cause over 70% of cervical cancer cases. HPV and cervical cancer are often discussed simultaneously. This is because 99.7% of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV. In fact, there is a higher correlation between HPV and cervical cancer, than there is between smoking and lung cancer. It is important to be well-informed about cervical cancer considering it is the 2nd leading cause of women’s cancer related deaths in Canadian women aged 20-44. In Canada, a vaccine has been approved for use to protect women against cervical cancer. The vaccine Gardasil protects against all four of the most harmful strains of HPV, 6/11/16/18. Currently, Gardasil is available to women through their family doctors. Since the vaccine is still fairly new, it is not covered by all provincial, territorial or federal health care plans. However, the government has recently given the provinces $300 million to go towards the funding cervical cancer vaccinations. This means that many provinces may begin funding the vaccine very shortly. Some private insurance companies already cover the vaccine. For those unable to access the vaccine for free, Gardasil costs approximately $130 per dose and three doses are needed in order for it to be effective. Since there is currently no efficacy data available on how Gardasil protects men, the vaccine is currently just recommended for women, specifically for those aged 9-26. The efficacy data for Gardasil on women is impressive: Gardasil has a 95% efficacy of preventing HPV types 6/11/16/18 related diseases. If a woman is vaccinated with Gardasil before ever having had a sexual encounter, there is almost a 100% chance that the vaccine will be useful. If a woman has been sexually active before receiving Gardasil, there is an 89% chance that the vaccine will be helpful since it likely that the woman has not been exposed to all four types of HPV that the vaccine protects against. Gardasil offers women a 100% reduction of a recurrence in outbreaks. Gardasil may protect against other forms of HPV as well, which makes the overall efficacy of cancer protection 75-90% Women do not need a pap test before having a Gardasil injection, which makes it a comfortable option for young women who are not sexually active. (NOTE: Regular pap tests are incredibly important in helping women detect abnormal cervical cancer cells. Women should start having regular pap tests around the time they turn 18 or about a year after they first become sexually active, whichever is sooner.) Since HPV is such a common viral infection, Canadians for Choice encourages all persons to talk openly about the virus with their family, friends, colleagues and sexual partners. Any questions or concerns about sexually transmitted infections should be brought to the attention of a healthcare professional immediately. All women, regardless of their age or sexual activity level, would especially benefit from discussing the option of obtaining the Gardasil vaccine with a healthcare professional, to see if it is right for you. While for some people talking about sexual health issues can be uncomfortable, it is especially important that you do so with every sexual partner in order to protect both your partner, and yourself, from being at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection. Talking about your sexual health and using protection every time you have sex are two great ways to encourage that you and your partner are healthy and happy. For more information on HPV: http://www.hpvinfo.ca/hpvinfo.html For more information on cervical cancer: http://www.cancer.ca/ccs/internet/standard/0,2939,3172_10175_275922_langId-en,00.html http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/diseases-maladies/cervical-uterus_e.html For more information on Gardasil: http://www.merckfrosst.ca/mfcl/en/corporate/products/gardasil.html http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodpharma/sbd-smd/phase1-decision/drug-med/nd_ad_2006_gardasil_102682_e.html