Media personality Janet Mbugua is raising awareness about the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and the importance of understanding sexual health.
Speaking in a recent social media post, Ms Mbugua urged parents to sit with the uncomfortable truth that their children were having sex.
“Almost every sexually active adult will run into HPV at some point in their life. Almost everyone,” Mbugua said. “Let’s talk about the uncomfortable part. Teenagers are having sex…sometimes with multiple partners.”
Ms Mbugua also said that it was better to acknowledge this uncomfortable truth than to ignore it and risk their children.
“Whether that sits well with us or not, whether it fits the timeline that you think it should, it’s already happening in our homes,” she added. “And instead of meeting that with information, we meet it with silence or shame or pretending that we didn’t hear.
“I am not telling you any of this to scare you or to make anyone feel dirty or ashamed. No one chooses to carry a virus.”
The media personality’s statement is supported by the World Health Organisation, which describes the virus as a sexually transmitted disease that can affect all sexually active individuals.
In 2019, HPV caused an estimated 620 000 cancer cases in women and 70 000 cancer cases in men, according to WHO stats.
Sharing the Kenya statistics, Ms Mbugua encouraged parents to consider the vaccine.
“In Kenya, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, and in estimates, we are losing 10 women every day from it; breast cancer affects women, but cervical kills.
“We need radical acceptance… but there’s fear that exists with the vaccine. I understand why that fear exists. We all learned to be suspicious of things injected into our bodies without a full explanation. But this vaccine has been available for close to a decade and is one of the most monitored vaccines.”
The HPV vaccine is available in Kenya for girls aged 10 to 14, following World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The vaccine is provided free of charge at public health facilities, while private clinics charge between Kshs. 7,700 and Kshs 17,000 per dose depending on the vaccine type.
The Inua Dada founder also urged parents to avoid the common gender misconceptions about the virus, asking parents to instead protect their children and themselves.
“HPV is not a girl’s infection…men can carry HPV related cancers too. Yet the entire public conversation forgot boys exist. If you have kids, get them vaccinated, girls and boys, ideally before they become sexually active.
“If you’re an adult, ask your doctor about catch-up doses. They exist. If you’re sexually active, get screened.”
