HPV Facts
HPV means the humanpapillomavirus. It comes from a common family of viruses and it is also responsible for causing cervical cancer in women. HPV viruses are transmitted from one human to another sexually. Some of the most common conditions that it causes are genital and plantar warts. These warts can be removed. However, HPV is known for causing several more types of cancer, like cancers of vulva, vagina and anus. It can also spread to the head and the neck. |
Both men and women can get affected by the HPV virus, and in the US, nearly 20 million people every year are reported to be infected with the HPV virus. Most of the infections are of mild nature.
There are 100 different strains of the HPV virus. Only 40 of them are known to scientists. Among these 40 known strains, nearly 15 of them cause cancers. The HPV 16 and HPV18 have been identified as the cancer causing viruses. Even men, who have been affected with these HPV viruses, are prone to getting anal or penile cancer.
A normal HPV infection does not lead to cancer of the cervix, and it is not always a cancer causing virus. Only certain conditions and circumstances will lead to cancer. A lot of it actually depends on our immune system. If our immune system is strong, the HPV virus will become dormant. When an HPV virus infects a person, it shows no visible symptoms of the infection. The symptoms only show after several years when it results in cancer or a serious disorder.
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