"Viruses Added to Cancer List" 2/1/05

Its official! Hepatitus B and C and some strains of human papilloma virus (HPV) are now known carcinogens. Abstinence educators have been criticized for years for using this information as scare tactics to counter unmarried sex. Others chose not to use this well-documented information because it didn't have this final government stamp of approval.

In the case of HPV, the most prevalent STD in teen girls and young women, the avoidance of its link to cervical cancer has been unexcusable. Official brochures from a major area hospital have failed to mention that link in articles about cervical cancer. Young women who have had cryosurgery to remove pre-cancerous cervical cells sometimes were never told that the condition existed because of their sexual activity.

Maybe women will finally know the major reason they are advised to have annual PAP smears--to detect HPV. They will also understand why the new guidelines for PAP tests are more lenient for seniors no longer in sexual relationships or for those who are monogomous as evidenced by longterm test results.