HPV protection outreach offered across P.E.I.

The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre will be on the road this week to teach Islanders how to protect themselves from HPV.

It's holding public information sessions in three different communities.

Jamie-Lee Brown, a fourth year student helping to organize the campaign, said HPV is one of the most common STIs in Canada, and educating the public is one way to prevent its spread.

"There's a lot of information on HPV, so you really try to narrow it down for people and just explain what HPV is, how you get it and how you can protect yourself," said Brown.

"We also touch on other vaccines adults can get, because as an adult you don't think about going to get vaccinated for things. So it's just a nice way to wrap it up and make it easy for people."

The sessions start Wednesday and continue into next week.

• Montague, Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m., Montague Rotary Library.
• Summerside, Nov. 25, 2 p.m., Credit Union Place.
• Charlottetown, Nov. 26, 6 p.m., Murphy's Pharmacy Community Centre.

On P.E.I., Grade 6 girls started receiving a vaccine for HPV in 2007, and expanded the program to Grade 6 boys in 2013.

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