Everything You Need To Know About The HPV Virus and Vaccine
The Women’s Health Project and Everywoman’s Center at Umass Amherst welcome panelists for a presentation and discussion of the human papilloma virus (HPV) and the new vaccine Gardasil. This vaccine is believed to protect women against four strains of the virus responsible for the majority of cervical cancer in the United States. The HPV vaccine was recently approved to be given to girls and women ages 11-26. Some health practitioners and pharmaceutical companies have recommended that the vaccine be administered to all 11 year old girls and there has been discussion of the vaccination becoming a mandatory requirement for attendance at public schools. Panelists will address a range of issues including: What is the human papilloma virus, how is it contracted and how can it prevented? What are the long term risks and benefits associated with the vaccine? What are some concerns of communities of color? Will all women have to take it? Will their daughters?
Panelists include: Judy Norsigian, Executive Director of Our Bodies, Ourselves and co-founder of The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective; Sara Aierstuck, a Nurse Practitioner of University Health Services at UMass Amherst, and Amanda Collings Vann, Director of the Women’s Health Project and Health Educator at University Health Services.
This event is co-sponsored by the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program at Hampshire College and the Women’s Studies Program at UMass. It is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact the Everywoman’s Center at (413) 545-0883. For more information on Health Education, please call (413) 577-5181. The Women’s Health Project is a program of Health Education at University Health Services.
