Are you the sexually active type? Do you like having sex with different partners? Then, you could be infected with Human Papilloma Virus. Do you know that this virus can get you cancer? What’s worse, you could be infecting others without knowing it. Have I captured your attention already? It’s about time that you pay attention to it. They say knowledge is power; so here are the quick facts about HPV.
- Papilloma viruses are a diverse group of DNA-based viruses that infect the skin and mucous membranes of humans and a variety of animals. Human papilloma viruses (HPV) infect humans.
- All HPVs are transmitted by skin-to-skin contact and/or via objects that can carry the virus to infect a new host. There are approximately 130 types of HPVs identified. 30 to 40 of it have been known to be sexually transmitted.
- HPV types are often referred to as “low-risk” (wart-causing) or “high-risk” (cancer-causing), based on whether they put a person at risk for cancer.
- This virus is often asymptomatic — people usually don’t know they have it.
- HPVs are usually harmless where the body’s immune system can easily clear its infections; but in some cases, it is highly detrimental to your health especially if it turns into cancer. Cancer types include: cervical cancer (for women), penile cancer (for men), anal cancer (both men and women) and oropharyngeal cancer or that which affect the throat, tonsils, soft palate, and/or base of tounge (for those fund of oral sex).
- A person can have HPV even if he/she only have sex once but with someone infected with HPV.
- Condom use can lessen but not entirely prevent the infection of genital HPV.
- About 20 million people — men and women — are thought to have an active HPV infection at any given time.
I wrote these facts for the sole purpose of alarming people about what HPV can do and help raise the awareness about it and the dangers it’s capable of. For more info and further readings please refer to the following links:
Human Papillomavirus (Wikipedia)
Genital HPV Infection
HPV and Men
Fast Facts about HPV
Human Papilloma Virus and Cancer
For HPV stories and videos and/or you just want to share your HPV experience (be it traumatic or not) for the benefit of others who don’t know how to deal with it, please feel free to visit TUNE IN HPV.com.