Cooper Leigh Watkins by

How do you get HPV?

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 16:54:51 UTC

Symptoms of HPV

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 16:59:58 UTC

The main symptom of HPV is warts. Genital warts, common warts. plantar warts, and flat warts are all symptoms of HPV. In women, genital warts appear mostly on the vulva but can also occur near the anus, on the cervix or in the vagina. In men, genital warts appear on the penis and scrotum or around the anus. Another symptom is itching.

How to prevent HPV

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:02:50 UTC

HPV vaccination is a safe and effective way to help prevent HPV. Condoms, which prevent some sexually transmitted diseases, can decrease the risk of HPV transmission. Reducing the number of sexual partners can decrease the likelihood of encountering the virus.

Treatments

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:23:52 UTC

There is no treatment for the virus itself. However, there are treatments for the health problems that HPV can cause: Genital warts can be treated by your healthcare provider or with prescription medication. Genital warts can be removed with creams, cryotherapy or laser, but treatment won't get rid of the virus itself, which usually clears up by itself within 2 years.

What pathogen causes HPV?

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:29:14 UTC

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small, double-stranded DNA viruses that infect cutaneous and mucosal epithelial tissues of the anogenital tract, the hands, or the feet.

HPV in babies

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:32:36 UTC

Even if babies do get the HPV virus, their bodies usually clear the virus on their own. Most of the time, a baby born to a woman with genital warts does not have HPV-related complications.

Long term affects of HPV

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:36:36 UTC

If the body's immune system can't get rid of HPV, it can turn normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer. About 10% of women with HPV infection on their cervix will develop long-lasting HPV infections that put them at risk for cervical cancer.

Did you know?

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:39:46 UTC

In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer. Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area.

Statistics

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:41:43 UTC

Globally, it is estimated that 620 000 new cancer cases in women and 70 000 new cancer cases in men were caused by HPV in 2019 (1). Cervical cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer and cancer deaths in women in 2022, with some 660 000 new cases and around 350 000 deaths worldwide.

How long is HPV contagious?

cooperleigh23_1 — 2024-04-11 17:44:56 UTC

It's hard to know when people are no longer contagious, because there's no blood test that looks for HPV. Most of the time, HPV is gone within 2 years of when someone was infected.