HPV Information

The human papillomavirus establishes itself on the skin or mucus membranes of an individual who has contracted the disease. It has become the most common of all sexually transmitted diseases with an astounding 200 known types of the disease, many of which do not show any signs of symptoms. The human papillomavirus, or HPV, can affect the genital areas of both males females alike. The virus may also infect the mouth and throat of the person who may come into contact with the disease. It is transmitted through sexual acts and is not always seen or known about. Many people who contract the disease are completely unaware that they have it. HPV can lie dormant in many people that may never know they actually have an STD and could be helping the virus spread to others. Some forms of the virus can cause warts on the genitals of the people infected as well as in their mouth and throat. There are around 40 different types of the disease that are known to cause problems in humans as the many other forms of it may lie dormant and cause no problems and show no symptoms.

HPV is more commonly known as "genital warts" when it causes warts to form around the genitals of those who contracted it. This only happens in a small number of cases of people though. The American Social Health Association has reported that an estimated 75-80% of sexually active Americans have or will contract some form of the HPV strain at least once in their lifetime. By the age of 50 almost 80% of all American women will have contracted at least one strain over the course of their life. There were an estimated six million Americans in 2000 that reported new cases of HPV infections in some form. Of the greater than six million people who contracted a new case of HPV in 2000 about 75% of the cases were found in people between the ages of fifteen and twenty four. In studies done in the mid 2000's it was found that any any given time around 26% of women in the United States had a strain of HPV in their systems.

There are many forms of the various that can cause a wide range of problems from nothing at all to cancer and possibly death. With so many forms of the virus it may be hard to detect every strain and with so many that cause no problems or symptoms many live their lives never knowing that they may be carrying a STD. The human body has a magnificent immune system that does a great job of fighting off infections and diseases from a variety of sources. The many strains that do not show symptoms or problems are usually cleared out of the body in some time. Most non high risk strains can be completely cleared out of the body in under two years. Depending on the person and their immune system it can vary in time frame as to how long it may take for the immune system to fight the infection. Some may get rid of it in days while others may take years. This is all going on while the person has no clue that they are carrying around the HPV virus and can possibly spread it to more people.

Many people contract the disease from their partner who has no signs or symptoms that they may be infected. That is why the disease spreads so easily and with such great numbers, the majority of people who have it have absolutely no idea that it is in their system. While the vast majority of HPV strains are not very dangerous and can be fought off by the body there are some strains that are considered to be high risk. HPV has been linked to many forms of cervical cancer in women. Cervical cancer is the main threat that HPV has against humans as it has killed millions and continues to affect around one and a half million women world wide. Studies in the United States suggest that almost five thousand woman may die from cervical cancer in one year making it one of the most common types of cancer and the third leading killer of woman behind breast and lung cancer. In recent years several vaccines have been created to help prevent certain types of HPV that have been known to form into cancerous conditions if left undetected and treated.

The virus currently has no cure, but the body has been able to rid itself of the disease in most cases. This may take some time but the disease has been known to clear up on its own. It is so hard to detect in some cases that knowing if the disease is fully gone or just undetectable is hard to know as well as if someone is contagious or not. Practicing safe sex and limiting sexual partners can help those who are trying to avoid contracting this potentially harmful and deadly virus.