The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
Facts everyone should know.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States.
The virus is spread by vaginal, anal, or oral sex and infects almost 80 million people — both men and women — yearly. Most of those infected are in their late teens or early twenties.
When certain cells in the cervix, vagina, anus, or back of the throat are infected with Human Papilloma Virus, normal cell growth can be affected and cancerous or warty lesions can develop.
Each year in the United States nearly 20,000 women and over 12,000 men are affected by cancers caused by HPV. It has also been estimated that about 1% of those who are sexually active can develop genital warts during his or her lifetime.
Even more disturbing is the fact that nearly 12,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer yearly and 4,000 women die from this disease annually even with screening and treatment.
Prevention is key
In medicine often the most effective means of keeping patients free from disease is prevention, and the best way to prevent HPV and its complications of cancer and genital warts is the HPV vaccine.
