What Have We Missed?: The Knowledge of and Access to the HPV Vaccine and Sex Education in China

Abstract

The author completed three doses of Gardasil vaccine, which helps to protect against diseases caused by HPV (genital human papillomavirus). The author, a woman born and raised in China, had no knowledge of HPV or the HPV vaccine until she came to the United States for graduate school. In this piece, she presents a personal intercultural medical story about her HPV vaccine process. She utilizes personal narratives to share with readers her experience with sex education and to convey people's attitudes toward sexuality and sex education in mainland China.