|Type 1 herpes (HSV-1) -- the virus that causes recurrent cold sores
most often on the mouth or elsewhere on the face -- is carried by over 80%
of the population. It is frequently passed from adults to infants by
|Type 2 herpes (HSV-2) -- the virus that is more likely to cause sores in the genital area -- is carried by 5 to 20% of the population. Some people have had only a single outbreak; others experience recurring outbreaks. 5|
The risk of contracting HPV is much higher for women who:
|Engage in sexual activity with male partners who do not regularly use condoms,|
active before the age of 18, |
|Have had many sexual partners, |
|Have had sexual partner(s)
who have had many other sex partners, and |
|Have been previously infected with other STIs.|
|Sexual abstinence: If all premarital, postmarital and
extramarital intercourse and other sexual activity involving genital skin
contact were eliminated, then HPV transmission would be rare or nonexistent.
However, premarital intercourse occurs at about a 95% rate in the U.S., and
extramarital intercourse occurs at about the 40% level. In a sex-saturated
culture, motivating most of the population to remain celibate until marriage and then confine sexual intercourse and
other sexual behavior to one's marriage partner is one tall order.|
|Condoms: Public health groups actively
promote the use of condoms as an effective prevention method for HPV and
other STIs. Their use definitely lowers the rate of HPV transmission.
Unfortunately, it is still possible to transfer HPV virus by way of skin
contacting one's partner in areas not covered by a condom. Many conservative Christian groups, and many abstinence only sex-ed classes in schools teach that condoms are
totally or largely ineffective. |
It is interesting to note that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Internet report on the Pap Test, which includes a great deal of information on HPV and its prevention, made no mention either the use of condoms or the HPV vaccine as methods of reducing the occurrence and transmission of the virus as of 2008. 1
|Vaccination: The Gardasil vaccine was approved during 2006 for use both in the U.S. and Canada. It is important to realize that it provides protection only against a few strains of the HPV virus, including the two strains that cause cervical cancer. It offers absolutely no protection against syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- and many other STIs.|
Most women have HPV or have had or will have it at some time during their life. It is safest for sexually active women to assume that they are infected and have their cervix monitored regularly, unless their physician states that the test is not needed.
Unless otherwise indicated, Pap Smears (a.k.a. pap test) should be a routine part of every sexually active woman's medical checkups. Surface cells from her cervix are collected and analyzed in the lab for the presence of pre-cancerous or cancerous cells. This is usually a painless test. If done regularly, this test can detect cell abnormalities in the cells of the cervix before they become cancerous. In the U.S., Planned Parenthood and "programs funded by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offer free or low-cost Pap tests to women in need." 1 In Canada, the universal Medicare program makes them available at no cost to all female residents. 6 Since Pap tests are included in the U.S. Affordable Care Act, there should be a significant reduction in the development of cervical cancer in HPV-infected women developing cervical cancer.
The need for Pap tests will continue even after a woman is vaccinated, because the vaccine does not protect against all strains of HPV.
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