The silent killer, Human Papilloma Virus aka HPV(papillomavirus)

HPV is an abbreviation for Human Papilloma Virus. This is a virus that belongs to the family of papillomavirus and as the name goes, it affects humans. As many as 70% of the world's sexually active population has been infected, though they may not even know about it. This is because, infected people are very asymptomatic. There are about 200 types of HPV, 16 and 18 being ranked as the most dangerous of them. HPV 16 and 18 are linked to oral cancers for men including the tongue and throat, and cervical, vaginal and anal cancer for women.Scientific studies are however still underway.

Signs and symptoms.

Human papilloma virus is very asymptomatic, but there are a number of signs that can help you tell whether you should request HPV screening or not.The signs and symptoms include, but not limited to genital and oral warts for both men and women, bleeding in between the menstrual cycle, unexplained pain in the lower abdomen, abnormal pap smear result.

How is HPV transmitted?

Although transmission is by coming into contact with the infected person, sexual intercourse is the number way of transmission. About 40 types are transmitted by sexual contact, making HPV be termed as a sexually transmitted disease. Other ways of transmission in by body fluids, mainly fresh blood and pus.This means that, a mother can pass the virus to her unborn baby through the placenta( trans-placental), or during vaginal birth where blood gets mixed. Deep kissing where exchange of saliva is involved is a way of transmission as well, with a high risk of being infected with type 16 HPV.

How is HPV diagnosed?

Although diagnosing most HPV types can be very challenging, there are several ways that can be helpful, especially for women.Your doctor may collect some cells from your cervix or vagina to be used for pap smear. Pap smear is a laboratory tests that will distinguish abnormal cells from normal ones and tell if there is any cancerous activity going on in your cervix.

Another way is by looking for visible warts. This is because some types of HPV cause genital warts that can be easily seen by naked eyes. If your doctor cannot see the warts properly, he may sprinkle some vinegar, which will turn invisible warts white, making them visible.

Colposcopy is another procedure carried out in women to closely check the cervical cells for any abnormal changes.

Last but not least, is the DNA test. your doctor may send some of the cell samples from your vagina or cervix for further testing of the virus DNA.

As you can see, most of these procedures are done on women. It is quite sad to say that there are no reliable ways for diagnosis in men. However, if you notice warts on your body, this can be a warning sign, and maybe you can talk your wife or partner into getting tested for your sake and her's too.

Treatment.

There is no treatment for HPV. In most cases, your body should be able to clear the virus by itself within 1-2 years, or form strong antibodies against it such that the virus becomes very passive. In some cases, the virus doesn't clear and can still be detected even 10 years after infection. This is dangerous, since it can cause cancer.

Prevention.

Good news is that, there is a vaccine available for both men and women in the USA and other parts of the world. You may want to confirm with your doctor if it is available in your country. They include Gardasil and Cervarix. These vaccines cannot be effective if you have already been infected, but they can help prevent other types of HPV, apart from the ones that you have already contracted.

Be faithful to one partner and try to maintain one partner for a long time if forever is impossible. This is because, more than 70% of people out there are infected. While condoms can prevent other types of venereal diseases, they cannot prevent HPV. This is because the virus can be transmitted through skin contact. Condom does not cover all the skin in the genital area.

Get tested before getting sexually involved.