According to the New York Department of Health, approximately 20 million people in the United States are currently infected with the human papilloma virus, or HPV, and about 6 million new cases arise each year. There are around 120 different HPV strains and they are classified as low-risk and high-risk types, measured by the likeliness of causing serious diseases like cancer. While HPV will generally go away on its own, in some rare cases it can progress into more critical diseases.
What is HPV?
The human papilloma virus affects the epidermis, or the top layer of skin, and the mucous membranes in humans. It can affect both men and women. It is a sexually transmitted virus that doesn't require the exchange of bodily fluids for its transmittal but only skin-on-skin contact with an infected area. The New York Department of Health reports that about 80 percent of all sexually active males and females will acquire HPV at some point in their lives. In women, HPV can cause cancers of the vulva, vagina, anus and cervix. In fact, most cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV. In men, HPV can lead to the development of cancer of the penis and anus.
Detection and Treatment
There is currently no cure or treatments for HPV itself but in most cases, the infection will go away on its own. Cancer.org explains that in 90 percent of HPV cases, the body's immune system will rid itself of both low-risk and high-risk HPV strains. While there aren't treatments for the actual virus, there are treatments for the genital warts and other diseases that can occur as a result of the HPV. Since HPV is the cause of most cervical cancer cases in women, testing cervical cell samples is an effective method in identifying high-risk HPV strains. This test is generally done if a woman has an abnormal pap test, and also as a general procedure for women over the age of 30.
In recent years, scientists have developed HPV vaccines: Gardisil and Cervarix. According to Planned Parenthood, these vaccines protect against HPV types 16 and 18, which are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Currently, the vaccines can be used only in women between the ages of 9 and 26 years old. Unfortunately, there is no FDA-approved test to detect HPV in men. Because HPV itself is not usually harmful for men, it's more important to make sure that diseases that are caused by HPV not be present.
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