Volusia County, FL - A growing health concern in Volusia County is HPV, or human papilloma virus, which can cause cancer, and Daytona State College UCF Campus will host a summit to address the issue on Tuesday, June 7th.
"Prevent Cancer: The HPV Epidemic" Summit will be held from 8:30 AM until 3 PM at the campus on International Speedway. Medical professionals and an HPV-related cancer survivor are expected to discuss the virus, how it causes cancer, and how to protect young adults from developing the sexually transmitted disease.
About one in four people in the U.S. have HPV, but it is preventable with vaccines. "When you catch the virus your body can clear it, but when the body does not clear it, and it lingers for a long time, that's when it can lead to cancer. The vaccine is targeted at people who never had HPV, and that's usually adolescents and very young adults," explains Holly Smith with the Volusia County Department of Health.
According to the Volusia County Department of Health, four out of every 100,000 people in Volusia County died from HPV-related cancer in 2015. That's twice Florida's age-adjusted rate.
“We can protect our youth from this disease. By vaccinating them against HPV before they contract the HPV virus, we can keep them from developing this type of deadly cancer,” says Volusia DOH administrator Patricia Boswell.
The upcoming summit's purpose is to build awareness of HPV and to open dialogue among the community.
There is no cost for the summit, but advanced registration is suggested. For more information, or to register, got to
volusiahealth.com.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
