'Cancer is contagious': Swedish teenagers
Published: 22 Aug 12 10:03 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/42758/20120822/
Nearly 50 percent of Swedish teenagers think that cancer is contagious and 70 percent didn’t know that it's possible to vaccinate against cervical cancer, according to a new study carried out by organization Ung Cancer (Young Cancer).
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The survey was taken by 945 students in 13 high schools in counties Västra Götaland and Skåne during the spring. It showed significant gaps in knowledge among Sweden’s teenage population.
46 percent of those asked believed that leukaemia can spread through contact with open wounds and only one percent was aware that girls can get vaccinated against cervical cancer.
The majority of the teenagers, some 70 percent, knew that smoking could lead to cancer, and almost 50 percent were aware that too much tanning could give skin cancer. However, 24 percent thought you will only develop malign melanoma if your skin is burned or if you use sunbeds.
“Unfortunately there are very few who address cancer and sickness prevention with young people. It doesn’t seem to fit into the current high school curriculum,” Mjörnstedt told GP.
The organization is a charity for young cancer victims between 16 and 30. The study was carried out in collaboration with the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden) and the Regional Cancer Centre for western Sweden; Regionalt Cancer centrum Väst.
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Lol, this is the worst double-talk. Apparently its not contagious, but you can vaccinate against it to prevent you from catching it from others!
You can't vaccinate against cancer, you can only vaccinate against a particular bacterial agent that is carcinogenic. Maybe the kids thought cancer is contagious because of people like this saying you can vaccinate against it!
Maybe the finger needs to be pointed at groups like Young Cancer for creating these wrong impressions in the first place by using that type of double-talk.
@redfish
The vaccine is the HPV vaccine,protects against the two HPV types (HPV-16 and HPV-18) that cause 70% of cervical cancers, 80% of anal cancers, 60% of vaginal cancers, and 40% of vulvar cancers.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in adults, so there is a vaccine and the virus is contagious.
Yea that's not even my point. If you're going to tell people the vaccine is for cancer and not for HPV, which causes cancer, don't be shocked and surprised when people say cancer is infectious.
The poll doesn't reveal ignorance, it just reveals what people have been taught.
america where the kids are taught the world was created by a god and that sex before marriage will send you to hell.
in australia where the cervical cancer vaccine was developed the american backed christian church ran a smear campaign trying to stop girls being immunised. luckily it didnt work.
mitt romney if elected will ban abortions. you couldnt get a more backward uneducated country. just believe in jesus.
swedish kids all wear yank hats and clothes - for the hats the only ones available are of yank teams. I went to a shopping centre in sickl kaj yesterday to be greeted with a huge american flag at the entrance.
sedish kids most definately are going down the american path to the detriment of sweden.
try looking at family guy creationism on youtube for a giggle. the world is hundreds and hundreds of years old - as taught in american schools. science - no way.