HPV is the human papillomavirus. Nearly all of us will contract HPV at some point in time and while for most of us have no effects, HPV is linked to several types of cancer. On March 4, for International HPV Awareness Day, the goal is to provide information to help others learn about HPV and reduce cancer risks.

Educating Others About HPV 

Educating others about HPV is the first component of reducing risk. Finding out more about the available public information resources available helps spread the word and minimize HPV. International HPV Awareness Day began in 2018 by the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) with the main goals of the IHPV Awareness Day to increase awareness about HPV, tackle misconceptions and explain the many measures which can be used as prevention: education, vaccination, and screening.

The World’s Most Viral Secret

The theme for this year is “The World’s Most Viral Secret” with a call to action that is simple: #AskAboutHPV. Everyone is encouraged to help disseminate HPV information and use their social media audiences on and before March 4, using the following hashtags #AskAboutHPV, #eliminateHPV, and #CancerPrevention.

The campaign works to increase public awareness and reduce the stigma of HPV that is fundamental to the global effort to eliminate HPV and reduce the global cancer burden. By opening a dialogue and providing people globally with the knowledge they need, the campaign seeks to empower individuals and society at large to take effective action to minimize the harm caused by HPV.

Driven by passionate IPVS participants and launched four years ago, International HPV Awareness Day on March 4th has quickly grown to become part of the yearly calendar for many organizations committed to addressing HPV around the world. To date, these organizations number more than 110 civil society organizations in 52 countries that have pledged to build awareness of HPV within their communities.

Campaign members have access to the HPV Club, an online platform that supports communication, knowledge sharing and information dissemination between campaign partners with an interest in public awareness and advocacy campaigning.

Breaking Down the Stats About HPV

HPV cross cuts screening and immunization, with the following key guidelines and stats about it:

• HPV is a common virus, and most people will have it without knowing. It can remain at very low or undetectable levels and not cause any problems.
• The HPV vaccine protects against the most common types of HPV which cause cervical cancer. 
• HPV is recognized as a cause of cervical cancer – infection by high-risk HPV types is detectable in more than 99% of cervical cancers.
• In addition to cervical cancer, HPV is associated with less common cancers

Learn More About HPV

For more information about the HPV Awareness Day, or to get directly involved, visit AskAboutHPV.org.