To commemorate the International HPV Awareness Day, UniCamillus hosted the preview of the short film “Le Molecole del Destino” which tells the story of a woman affected by HPV. The subsequent discussion was moderated by journalist Marco Palma, and in addition to Rector Gianni Profita, featured director Massimo Ivan Falsetta, actors Giorgia Salari and Ettore Bassi, Prof. Pajalich, Prof. Facchinetti, and Prof. Vittorio Unfer (UniCamillus professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics).
As pointed out by Prof. Unfer, information is a form of prevention: 80% of us will encounter the papillomavirus in our lives and will recover spontaneously, but in 20% of cases, the virus can persist and cause serious damage, as in the case of the protagonist of the short film. Prof. Facchinetti also emphasized the importance of primary prevention: often, doctors are forced to address situations that are already present, and vaccination sometimes suffers from a lack of communicative ability on the part of institutions.
Prof. Pajalich also highlighted the importance of the ability of narrative medicine to achieve prevention goals. At the end of the scientific interventions, and the comments of the director and cast, the real-life protagonist who inspired the short film shared her testimony, emphasizing the importance and value of doctors’ listening skills.
