Three little letters can pack a big punch.
"HPV is a big problem. It is very serious, it is the cause of cervical cancer. It can occur at young ages, even 20 years old", says Dr. Anderson, of Abilene Regional Medical Center.
Doctors say its often overlooked by patients, and family planning specialists say it's rarely a topic of conversation.
"You can talk about breast cancer and prostate cancer, where fifteen or twenty years ago, you couldn't. And you can talk about lung cancer, but cervical cancer is one of those topics that's just very intimate", says Toni Brown, of the Alliance for Women and Children.
Toni Brown is the executive director of the Alliance for Women and Children and works with local women who are battling HPV, but she also plays an even more important role.
"I talked at length with our pediatrician. Because when it originally came out, the Gardasil vaccine meant your child is eventually going to have sex, so have this vaccine so they're protected. But it's not about that, it's about the fact that there is a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer", explains Brown.
But the numbers show the Human Papillomavirus is much more common than anyone would like to think.
"It's very common, probably number one, and we see it more and more all the time. Sexual activity is the only way this can be contracted. It can't be contracted from a toilet seat or sitting on a table or anything like that", says Dr. Anderson.
But with available prevention, produced in mass quantities, doctors still notice an increase in cases.
The topic is injected with controversy, and doctors urge everyone to educate themselves on the three little letters that have big potential to spell out the end.
The most recent push in the medical field is vaccines for men. Though no symptoms show in males, they are the carriers for the disease and can pass it along without even knowing it.
Doctors urge all girls between the ages of 12 and 18 to get vaccinated, but are starting to encourage young men to do the same.
For more resources on the topic of cervical cancer, click here.
"HPV is a big problem. It is very serious, it is the cause of cervical cancer. It can occur at young ages, even 20 years old", says Dr. Anderson, of Abilene Regional Medical Center.
Doctors say its often overlooked by patients, and family planning specialists say it's rarely a topic of conversation.
"You can talk about breast cancer and prostate cancer, where fifteen or twenty years ago, you couldn't. And you can talk about lung cancer, but cervical cancer is one of those topics that's just very intimate", says Toni Brown, of the Alliance for Women and Children.
Toni Brown is the executive director of the Alliance for Women and Children and works with local women who are battling HPV, but she also plays an even more important role.
"I talked at length with our pediatrician. Because when it originally came out, the Gardasil vaccine meant your child is eventually going to have sex, so have this vaccine so they're protected. But it's not about that, it's about the fact that there is a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer", explains Brown.
But the numbers show the Human Papillomavirus is much more common than anyone would like to think.
"It's very common, probably number one, and we see it more and more all the time. Sexual activity is the only way this can be contracted. It can't be contracted from a toilet seat or sitting on a table or anything like that", says Dr. Anderson.
But with available prevention, produced in mass quantities, doctors still notice an increase in cases.
The topic is injected with controversy, and doctors urge everyone to educate themselves on the three little letters that have big potential to spell out the end.
The most recent push in the medical field is vaccines for men. Though no symptoms show in males, they are the carriers for the disease and can pass it along without even knowing it.
Doctors urge all girls between the ages of 12 and 18 to get vaccinated, but are starting to encourage young men to do the same.
For more resources on the topic of cervical cancer, click here.
