Two HPV info sessions available in May

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – In an effort to educate the public about the dangers of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and how it can be prevented, the Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Department of Nursing and the Lafayette Street Family Health Clinic are sponsoring two information sessions for middle and high school students and their parents this month.

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer in females and can cause genital warts and anal cancers in females and males.

IPFW announced Monday that the first session is Tuesday, May 15, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Bauer Hall at Zion Lutheran Church, located at 2313 South Hanna Street in Fort Wayne. The second session will be Tuesday, May 22, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Neff Hall, Room 101 on the IPFW campus. Parking will be available in Parking Garage 1.

Middle and high school students—both female and male—can attend an HPV session to get the facts on HPV and ask questions.

There are three ways to protect oneself from HPV: abstinence, use of condoms every time, and a vaccine. By attending one of these two sessions, the teens and their parents can learn about the virus and what they can do to protect themselves. The session will also offer free pizza and free family photos.

The sessions are sponsored by IPFW’s Department of Nursing through a grant from the Indiana University Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. The Department of Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College Northeast is collaborating with IPFW on this project.