the 'PAAPI' virus - human pappiloma virus

Ca cervix – ‘protect her from 16 & 18, before she turns 15’

The ball is in your court. How would you like to play it?

This isn’t a write up about the aetiology, clinical features, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. A fraction of the readers has already at some point of their lives googled cervical cancer. Some of you may have seen people with cervical cancer. And the rest of you are going to google cervical cancer after u are done with this article. Then what is this article about? It is about aiding you to decide the fate of the ball that is in your court.  It is about emphasising the need of getting your little princesses, 3 doses of a vaccine. The vaccine that has a potential of shielding her from a form of cancer up to 90%!! It is you who has to ensure her this 90% chance to life, as by the time she grows up to be informed enough to get herself vaccinated, it could be too late.

Cervical cancer isn’t just two words with 5 vowels and 6 consonants. It makes its presence obvious at such a stage when u could do little to get rid of it. It could manifest itself in the nascent stages as bleeding after sex, which is the commonest way it can manifest, not much of a problem though, and hence easily overlooked. It could also manifest as moderate pain during sex, which also has the potential of being equally overlooked. Other presenting features could be – vaginal discharge or spotting. Did u notice how easily Ca Cervix can outwit u into believing that “aal iss well” in your body, while it keeps tightening its grips around u, your cervix. It deals with your body adopting the most fraternal mannerism. As days roll by, your attention will be drawn to your decreasing appetite and receding waistline. Not once it might cross your mind, that its cancer that has finally made you eligible to fit in your denims from your yonder years. But, a time comes when it fails to maintain its façade. And now, it flaunts its truly fugly colours. Colours of agonising pain, swelling, heavy bleeding, broken bones & seepage of poop and pee through your vagina, thanks to metastasis. Eventually, your social visits will be replaced by hospital visits. You will be occupying a hospital bed, receiving surgeries, radio and chemotherapies; when instead you could have occupied your cosy bed, receiving sweet nothings from your sweet someone. And as you lay there in your hospital bed, occasionally, you would harbour the thoughts of ‘only ifs’. Only if I could have known about HPV vaccine before; only if I was motivated enough to not dismiss the article about HPV vaccine I read once; only if I would move my lazy/busy ass to attend a clinic, instead of going to a get-together, and treat myself to 3 shots of vaccine instead of 3 shots of tequila; only if my parents were not contented with just merely obeying the vaccination schedule under IAP, and cared to read and heed beyond IAP. ONLY IF!

HPV virus vs vaccine – cervix is a crevice that serves as the connecting link between your uterus and vagina. HPV (human papilloma virus) is a micro-organism capable of thriving successfully in mucous membrane (lining of various cavities in your body, like oral cavity & cervix). It has many types, but, 16 & 18 are culpable for 70% of cervical cancer. There are high chances that your cervix could be introduced to this virus with the 1^st unprotected sex you have. This is exactly the reason, why, HPV vaccines are aimed at the population in the age group of (9-15) years. Because, efficacy of these vaccines, are maximum in women, who have not yet been exposed to HPV virus, in other words, who have not yet been exposed to sex. HPV vaccines, makes your body hostile to at least type 16 and 18, the leading strains with malignant potential. Fringe benefits that u get are – prevention against – 80% of anal cancer, 60% of vaginal cancer, 40% of vulvar cancer and possibly some mouth cancer as well. Idioms like “a stitch in time saves nine” & “it’s better to be safe than sorry”, aptly describes the relationship between HPV vaccine & cervical cancer. And as the girls under 16 are busy with their curricular and extra-curricular activities; oblivious to the existence of this creepy virus; the onus lies on the shoulder of you, my reader, to give the ball, that’s still in your court, your best shot – HPV shots.