BBC: High levels of shame and ignorance are associated with HPV, the sexually-transmitted virus which affects 80% of people, a survey has discovered.
The government is rolling out HPV testing as part of routine screenings for cervical cancer.Nearly half of the women surveyed believed their partner must have cheated if they had HPV, but the virus can remain dormant for years.Campaigners fear women may not attend screenings because of the stigma.
The survey of 2,000 women was done by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust last month.It found that half of the women were embarrassed and “put off sex” as a result of contracting the virus.
Around 35% of the women had no idea what HPV is, and nearly 60% said they thought it meant they had cancer.
Laura Flaherty, 31, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016, is typical of the respondents.