This Sunday, March 4th the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH) will be joining forces with around 80 organizations worldwide to commemorate the 1st annual International HPV Awareness Day. The goal of the day is to spark conversation and promote a worldwide exchange of ideas, knowledge, and research materials about human papillomaviruses (HPV) and their associated diseases.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are sexually transmitted viruses that are very common worldwide. There are more than 200 different HPV types, 80% of people will have HPV at some point in their lifetime and while for many it will cause no harm, some types of HPVs are known to cause certain cancers such as cervical, anal and oropharyngeal cancer. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women and an estimated 270,000 women die of cervical cancer every year.

International HPV Awareness Day is led by the International Papilloma Virus Society and this year the campaign message is Give Love, Not HPV. “We believe love is the foundation of a happy and healthy life. Whether it’s familial love, love between friends or romantic love, it is important that we look after and protect the people we care about.” Said IPVS President Dr. Silvia De San José

Dr. Joel Palefsky, who chairs the expert committee behind the campaign, welcomed the support and partnership, saying “HPV Awareness Day will raise awareness of HPVs and help make people aware of their prevention and treatment options. It will also help to connect them to organizations like ISSWSH for information and support. We know what works and we know we have to work together. On March 4 the events around the world will inspire conversations and build a movement to deliver action to combat this silent killer.”

For more information about International HPV Awareness Day visit www.givelovenothpv.org