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posted by martyb on Tuesday March 06 2018, @06:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the still-have-a-long-way-to-go dept.

Naaman Zhou at The Guardian writes that Australia's free human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme in schools has been highly successful. The International Papillomavirus Society calculates that within 40 years, the number of new cases of cervical cancer will become nearly negligible.

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a sexually transmitted infection that causes 99.9% of cervical cancers. In 2007, the federal government began providing the vaccine for free to girls aged 12-13 years, and in 2013, it extended the program to boys.

Girls and boys outside those ages but under 19 can also access two doses of the vaccine for free. In 2016, 78.6% of 15-year old girls and 72.9% of 15-year old boys had been vaccinated.

As a result, the HPV rate among women aged 18 to 24 dropped from 22.7% to 1.1% between 2005 and 2015.

Eradication is still a few decades out but within reach. The vaccinations are backed up by more advanced cervical screening tests, which are themselves highly successful in detecting high-risk HPV infections before they turn really bad.

Source : Australia could become first country to eradicate cervical cancer. The Guardian


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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by pipedwho on Tuesday March 06 2018, @08:58PM (4 children)

    by pipedwho (2032) on Tuesday March 06 2018, @08:58PM (#648686)

    And specifically, in addition to penile and anal cancer, there's this bit of useful information: HPV can also cause cancer in the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils. So oral sex with an infected party can also be dangerous if you end up with a HPV infection in your mouth or throat.

    Of course, this isn't a cure for other STDs that have nasty life threatening problems like HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 06 2018, @10:30PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 06 2018, @10:30PM (#648742)

    It doesn't make sense that you could get anal cancer. There shouldn't be any HPV on poo or toilet paper.

    Missing the target seems improbable. I suppose you might if you were going at it wildly in a rocking chair or sling and then slipped out of the correct hole, but that should happen almost never.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 07 2018, @04:10AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 07 2018, @04:10AM (#648865)

      It doesn't make sense that you could get anal cancer. There shouldn't be any HPV on poo or toilet paper.

      Such sweet naivety [wikipedia.org].

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by MostCynical on Wednesday March 07 2018, @12:05AM (1 child)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Wednesday March 07 2018, @12:05AM (#648790) Journal

    Cervical cancer *is*one of those nasty, life-threatening diseases.

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    • (Score: 2) by pipedwho on Friday March 09 2018, @02:10AM

      by pipedwho (2032) on Friday March 09 2018, @02:10AM (#649810)

      Absolutely. A female can end up with cervical cancer from oral sex if they are infected by a partner that has HPV in their mouth. And people can be infectious with no obvious symptoms.