Cervical cancer prevention gets sexy

A woman getting frisky with a man is wearing alarmed underpants to warn of the links between sex and cervical cancer in a new campaign from Cancer Council Victoria.

The ad, which will run online only, is designed to encourage sexually active women to go for regular pap tests.

“‘We’re hoping women will see this video and feel compelled to send it to their friends and sisters. We don’t mind if it’s for a laugh, just as long as they’re taking in the message and book a Pap test when they’re due,” said Hiranthi Perera, program manager of PapScreen Victoria, Cancer Council’s cervical screening program.

She added: “Many women, particularly those in their 30s, still aren’t getting the message that if they have ever had sex, even safe sex, they are at risk of developing cervical cancer.”

“Cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) which is an extremely common sexually transmitted infection. It’s usually harmless, but persistent HPV infections can cause cervical cell changes which if left undetected and untreated, can lead to cervical cancer.

‘This is why it’s so important for all women who have ever been sexually active to have a Pap test every two years, even if they’ve had the HPV vaccine and even if they’ve had the same partner for a long time. Having regular Pap tests is the only way to detect these changes,” she said.

In Victoria, only 60% of eligible women participate in cervical screening every two years as recommended.

The agency behind the campaign was JWT Melbourne.