With India s first indigenously developed quadrivalent HPV vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer set to hit the market, experts talk about the importance of the vaccine
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If you re familiar with the term HPV, or human papillomavirus as it s known in the science world, then it s likely because you ve had the HPV jab (also known as the cervical cancer vaccine). HPV, which can be transmitted sexually, is responsible for 99.7% of cervical cancers. But despite that, knowledge surrounding this potentially cancer-causing virus - which can lay dormant in the body for up to 20 years - is pretty low.
In fact, in a survey previously conducted by Jo s Cervical Cancer Trust, it emerged that just over half (51%) of women quizzed were unaware that HPV infection is a risk factor for cervical cancer. So the experts at the charity thought they d help us clear up a few things up by dispelling some common myths that have been floating around about HPV.