HPV---A Common Disease
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can cause genital warts or cervical cancer, and it is also the most common sexually transmitted disease. As it is a virus, it is not treatable with antibiotics. Practicing safe sexual practices can help prevent infection. However, HPV is spread through genital contact, so even this cannot completely prevent transmission. According to the CDC, almost three out of four Americans will be infected with genital HPV at some point in their lives.
HPV infection does not necessarily mean that a sexual partner has cheated---the virus can remain dormant in the body for months or years, only to break out some time long after infection. The CDC does not recommend testing other partners for HPV, and at this time there is no conclusive test that tells if men carry the virus. Though individuals who have casual and frequent sexual encounters are certainly at a higher risk for all STDs, those who are monogamous may transmit the disease or have an outbreak at some time in their lives as well. The ASHA "Questions and Myths about HPV" page notes that 80 percent of people who have fewer than four partners have been infected with HPV at some point in their life.
Transmission of HPV
The CDC notes that HPV is usually transmitted through genital-to-genital contact during intimacy. The virus can infect most parts of the male and female reproductive system, including the rectum, vulva and cervix. It can also infect the mouth and the throat. Any sexual activity that causes contact between any area that could be infected with HPV can cause transmission. Since HPV is so common and can be hard to trace, even monogamous sexual contact can put an individual at risk for HPV.
Complications
There are many different strains of HPV, and different strains cause different results. Many HPV infections are defeated by the body's immune system within two years and may not be noticed by either partner. Some varieties cause genital warts, which can be flat, cauliflower-like, or irritated. These warts can be itchy and can be treated at the doctor's office. The strains of HPV that cause genital warts do not cause cancer. Some strains can cause cancer, however. If the body's immune system cannot defeat these HPV infections in due time, they can cause cells to mutate into precancers, which morph into cancer if not treated. The CDC notes that HPV is linked to cancers of the cervix, mouth, throat and anus, though anal, mouth and throat cancers are very uncommon.
Prevention
Though condoms do not provide complete protection against transmission of the virus, they do offer some protection as they reduce skin-to-skin contact. Likewise, the use of dental dams and condoms for oral stimulation and latex gloves for digital stimulation can reduce the risk of infection, though it is not completely eliminated.
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