Little known facts about HPV
Perhaps the most shocking fact about HPV is this: 90% of people will contract HPV before they die. “Human papilloma virus” sounds really scary, so this news may worry some people, but rest easy, most strains of HPV are pretty benign. You may see warts, or you may see nothing, as HPV can lay dormant literally your entire life. It’s only those few strains that can lead to cancer that we need to worry about.
That said, here are some of the other lesser known facts about HPV…
There is a vaccine!
Not really a fact about HPV per se, but it is, nonetheless, a fact that should be shouted from every rooftop. Some of the more fanatical alternative health people are distrusting of the HPV vaccine, but any criticism you hear is simply misinformed. The vaccine does not protect against all HPV strains, but it does protect against the high risk strains, such as the ones which can lead to cervical cancer. A regular pap smear is still in order, but the vaccine can, if administered early enough, eliminate the risk of contracting an HPV strain which leads to cervical cancer. It has drawn some criticism from certain, somewhat misinformed but well meaning conservatives, as well. The vaccine needs to be administered during puberty for best results, and some see this as encouraging adolescent sex. This is silly, though. It’s in the hands of the parents to teach about having sex responsibly, the vaccine is only there to save lives.
70% of HPV infections go away on their own
When most people get a wart, they want to head straight for the drug store to grab some remover. There’s no need. Or at least, seventy percent of the time, there’s no need. Even genital warts, most of the time, will clear up on their own if you simply eat right and practice good hygiene.
About half of all adults are carrying some form of HPV right now
This one may really surprise you. Again, most forms of HPV clear up quickly enough, and in many cases, the HPV lays dormant for an indefinite period of time. It’s possible that you may have about a dozen types of HPV right now, and that you’ll never know.
Dormant HPV can rear its head later in life
Hopefully, this should save a marriage or two: It’s not uncommon for one member of a monogamous couple to suddenly show signs of genital HPV without any infidelity having taken place. You can contract HPV today and not have any genital warts to show for it until twenty years from now. Genital warts are not necessarily a sign of a recent transmission of HPV.
It is possible, but rare, to transmit HPV during childbirth
It’s not common, but there have been a few reported cases of HPV being passed from mother to child during birth.
HPV has 250 strains
You cannot contract hand warts by making skin contact with genital warts. It just doesn’t really happen, because common or hand warts and genital warts are two different strains. It’s kind of like using different formats of discs on your computer: A floppy disk won’t work in a CD drive, and genital warts won’t infect any area beyond the genitals. Genital warts can affect the area directly around the genitals, but you cannot catch genital HPV strains on your hands or feet or anything like that. Some forms of HPV may show up just about anywhere on the body, but most only affect certain areas.
susan catlin says:
hi . why young ones get it .thats good but why u have to be under 27 im 43.dont leave my house .so i got lump in breast i had to go doctors . last time went doctor i had pap smear i was faxed to chemist pills .why the age plz why u old u die is that it we have rights to . god the gov can give me a rise and my carer . how that when i try get in car to do all this i have to pay for being 43
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 pm