Sixty-seven percent of people aged 19 to 45 in a survey said that they did not use a condom during sex, the Formosa Cancer Foundation said yesterday as it released a music video to raise awareness about genital human papillomavirus (HPV).
Citing a 2014 study conducted in the US, foundation vice president Tsai Li-chuan (蔡麗娟) said that the lifetime probability of acquiring HPV was more than 80 percent for women and men.
Every day in Taiwan, an average of four women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, which is mostly associated with HPV infection, she said, adding that 674 people died of cervical cancer last year.
HPV causes more than 90 percent of cervical cancers and pre-cancerous cervical lesions, Tsai said.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 2018 Taiwan Cervical Cancer Screening Report shows that about 22 percent of people who were diagnosed with pre-cancerous cervical lesions were women aged 34 or younger.
However, the latest survey conducted by the foundation last month showed that while more than 60 percent of women had basic knowledge about HPV, more than 84 percent of respondents did not get vaccinated against it, she said.
The survey polled 1,000 men and 1,000 women aged 19 to 45.
Tsai said that as HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse, the survey suggested that 33 percent of respondents had sexual encounters without an emotional connection, while 67 percent had sex without using a condom.
The foundation has been a full member of the Union for International Cancer Control since 2003, so it shares the goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030, it said.
Encouraging people to get vaccinated against HPV and undergo regular Pap smear screening for pre-cancerous lesions are its two main approaches to cervical cancer prevention, it added.
The survey found that the main reasons female respondents had not been vaccinated is not knowing which hospital department to visit (43 percent), being scared or not liking seeking medical attention (22 percent) and being embarrassed to discuss the issue with friends (18 percent).
There are more than 100 types of HPVs, Taiwan Immunization Vision and Strategy director-general Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) said, adding that types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58 are classified as high-risk, as they are most frequently found in cancers.
While the 2-valent and 4-valent HPV vaccines can protect against about 70 percent of cervical cancers, the 9-valent vaccine can protect against 90 percent, Lee said.
Most people with HPV do not experience any symptoms and their infection does not cause cancer, he said.
However, long-term persistence of high-risk HPV infection in some people can lead to an increased risk of cervical cancer, and also genital warts, anal cancer, vulvar cancer and vaginal cancer, he added.
The foundation also released its latest HPV prevention music video, featuring hip-hop singer Pihai Ryan (屁孩Ryan) and rap singer Suisui 98 Mizu (水水98Mizu).
The video encourages young people, both men and women, to get vaccinated against HPV, and use a condom during sex to protect themselves and their partner. It also urges women to get a Pap smear test regularly.
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