Stories of HPV
These personal journeys illustrate the impact HPV can have on someone’s life and the importance of raising awareness and protection.
MEET ANNA, AGE 35
As a young woman looking for love, Anna had two serious relationships before finally meeting her Prince Charming.
Since she had already been intimate with her ex-boyfriends, she felt that it was too late for her to get HPV vaccination.
Anna received a devastating cervical cancer diagnosis while planning her wedding. She now knows that despite her earlier HPV exposure, HPV vaccination could have helped reduce her chances of getting infected with certain high-risk HPV types, which she may not have had during her dating phase.1
MEET SHERWIN, AGE 39
Sherwin connected with his fiancée after parting ways with his first girlfriend.
As both of them hadn’t dated many people in the past and had vowed to stay faithful to each other, they didn’t consider themselves at risk of HPV, and therefore did not get HPV vaccination.
His fiancée was later diagnosed with cervical cancer caused by HPV. Since HPV infection usually doesn’t show any symptoms, Sherwin may have unknowingly carried the virus and passed it on to his fiancée.1
Note: These are not real patient stories but are representative of potential scenarios.
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protect yourself.
Persons portrayed are not actual patients.
For demonstration purposes only.
- World Health Organization. Questions and answers about human papillomavirus (HPV). Published 2024. Accessed March 21, 2024. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/376263/WHO-EURO-2024-5631-49185-73415-eng.pdf?sequence=1
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