The Rotary Club Shillong Heritage organised an awareness programme on the human papillomavirus (HPV) last week in collaboration with the Meghalaya branch of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics.
The programme took place at St Margaret’s Higher Secondary School here on September 19. The event was conducted with an aim of educating students about the importance of vaccination and prevention of HPV, a virus that can affect different parts of the body.
Although many cases of HPV infection do not produce symptoms, those that do can be very serious. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally and nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV.
The speakers at Thursday’s event were Dr Santanu Deb of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, paediatrician Dr Sabrina Yesmin and obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Indrani Roy.
Nearly 1,000 students and teachers attended the awareness programme.
“This collaborative effort not only helped raise awareness about HPV but also fostered a sense of community among all participants,” a press release said today.
