HPV Transmission
Can I Get HPV Overseas?
HPV is not confined to any one country or culture. The HPV virus is a disease that occurs anywhere people are sharing common living quarters or where people are having sex!
The more common of the 250-odd strains of the HPV virus cause common warts. These strains can be picked up anywhere where an infected person touches a surface where they leave the virus. The HPV virus is very hardy, and can live on a cold dry surface for many hours or even a few days. Many people find themselves infected with common warts on their hands or feet, and never know where they could have picked up the virus. This infection is never serious, but can be unsightly, itchy or painful, embarrassing and annoying. Often, it takes several applications of ointment and some help from your doctor to bring it under permanent control.
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How HPV is transmitted
It’s estimated that nine in ten people will contract HPV at some point in your life. Don’t worry, though. Most HPV strains are pretty harmless. Most HPV strains either result in warts, or no visible symptoms or health complications at all. The forms that do result in warts never really lead to anything more, and all of these forms will take care of themselves over time as long as you eat well, exercise and keep your immune system strong.
But the question is, how is everybody catching HPV? 90% of people don’t contract cancer or HIV, so why HPV? It’s a little like the common cold, chicken pox, or Pac-Man Fever; almost all of us catch it at one point or another.
Warts are actually surprisingly easy to transmit. You don’t ever even have to meet a person with warts to contract their HPV. Again, warts are no big deal, they’re just gross. They’re only a problem when over the counter medicine doesn’t seem to do anything, or they’re recurring, in which case, professional aide can help solve the problem. But, you won’t get cancer or anything like that thanks to warts. Even genital warts are not a cancer risk.
Common warts and plantar warts can be transmitted thanks to something as simple as sharing a doorknob or a public shower. The fear of contracting HIV or something through a toilet seat or an eating utensil is all bunk, but HPV can be transmitted that easily. This is thanks to the protein shell each HPV cell is equipped with. This shell allows them to survive for much longer than most viruses on even non-porous, dry surfaces. You can combat this by just practicing sanitary measures. Wash your hands regularly, keep your home and place of work clean, you know the drill. Wear those rubber slippers if you use a gym with public showers, etcetera.
What are your chances of catching HPV?
If you are sexually active, you’re probably going to catch some strain of HPV.
It is estimated that somewhere around half of all sexually active people are actually walking around with genital HPV right now, while most people will contract HPV at some point in their lives.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that it’s usually not that big of a deal.
HPV isn’t just genital HPV, and even when it is genital HPV, it’s only the rarer forms of HPV which can lead to cancer, and those strains do not show themselves in the form of genital warts.
HPV includes common warts (hand warts), plantar warts, elbow warts, flat warts, and even some strains that don’t even cause any visible signs or lead to further health complications.
Most children will contract hand warts at some point in their early lives. Hand warts are uncomfortable and ugly, but they won’t lead to cancer, they’re easily treated, and 90% of the time, they clear up in a few weeks with or without treatment.
How to avoid passing HPV on
Count yourself lucky for having been born in such extraordinary times. We still haven’t found a way to cure every single disease, and there is no cure for HPV, however, the rate of progress is improving dramatically, and with modern science, we’re discovering more and more ways to, if not kill HPV off for good, we can at least take steps to prevent contracting HPV, and to prevent passing it on.
There is a bit of a misconception that HPV is an entirely sexually related disease. Just to get this clear: It is not. HPV includes genital warts, but there are literally dozens of different types of HPV. To put it simply, all warts are caused by HPV, and there are some forms of HPV that don’t actually show any visible signs on the surface of the skin.
Most forms of HPV are merely uncomfortable or unsightly, warts are a form of tumour, but they are generally benign tumours, meaning, ugly as they are, they’re of no risk to your life or long term health. However, a few types can lead to cancer or other major complications.
If you’ve spotted an unsightly wart on your hands or feet, or your doctor has informed you that you have been infected with HPV, you’ll need to take measures to treat the hpv symptoms, of course, but you should also take measures to prevent passing it on.