It is a sexually contracted infection. It can even infect by skin to skin contact. It is found that people will have 50% of chances of getting HPV during their life time if they have had sex. Even though it is not a new virus, many people are still ignorant of its prevalence as they do not get signs of infection. Some time HPV may also recede without causing cancer to the cervix. If this is detected early, one need not die prematurely at all. The FDA recommends periodical testing for cervical cancer from the early age of 30 for women.
Many kinds of HPV are prevalent but not all of them cause death. HPV type 16 and 18 can cause 70 % of cervical cancer and type 6 and 11 can develop 90 % of genital warts. The HPV can not be destroyed but treatments are possible for cervix changes, genital warts and cervical cancer if found at early stages. However genital warts will not convert into carcinoma. The HPV test for cervical cancer can even detect it before its strike by identifying changes to the cervix. The ways of avoiding cervical cancer by not contracting HPV are varied. First, one can observe abstinence.
Second, the sexual partners must be limited. It is all the more essential that partner chosen should have had lesser partners before or no partners at al early. Use of condoms is not foolproof because condoms can not cover all the areas that are susceptible virus attack. Another test called Pap test should also be done to find any changes to the cervix caused by the HPV. Of late vaccine is available to protect against HPV. Gardasil, if taken, can prevent 95 to 100 % contracting HPV types 6, 11, 16 & 18. This vaccine is recommended for girls between ages from 9 to 26 years.
It is ideal to have the shot of vaccine before sexual activity begins in one’s life. The first three shots of vaccine with an interval 2 and 6 months between second and third shots must be sufficient. As it is relatively new, more studies are required for any booster requirement after few years. It must be remembered that vaccine is not meant for curing the HPV already present. But it may help prevention of other types of HPV if one is already affected by a different type. The vaccine is known to cause minor reactions like redness or irritation on the area of the vaccine shot. (FDA) Cervical Cancer Screening
C. Feeley (2006) in his study sates that cervical carcinoma is problem of major concern affecting women. Developing countries report 80 % of fresh cases of 510,000 every year globally and this wide spread prevalence is attributed to absence of regular screening practices in those countries. Cervical screening alone is enough to contain the disease at an early stage. N. Behtash and N. Mehrdad (2006) state that the condition called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) came to be known for the first time in 1968. The equivalent term is “dysplasia. ” meaning abnormality in maturation of HPV.
The condition carcinoma cervix progresses from dormant CIN to growing carcinoma. The treatment should to prevent change of epithelial dysplasia into CIN-2 and CIN-3 and arrest the growth of an invasive carcinoma cervix. Pap smear technique developed in 1941 by George Papanicolaou now developed into liquid-based technology avoids inadequate sampling of pap smears and overcomes the problem of false-negative pap smears. Hybrid capture is latest development in HPV tests. It has been said that 90 % of HPV related cancer incidence can be prevented by L1 virus like particle vaccines.
For women already affected, continued screening and resection are recommended. However Moss et al (2006) have found that though liquid based cytology has reduced pap smear sampling frequency, it has increased referral rates to Colposcopy. Butcher M (2001) has suggested women afflicted with HPV should be carefully handled to guard against psychological repercussions to them for being subjected to testing due to a sexually transmitted disease. They should be treated with dignity to save them from developing inferiority complex and unnecessary fears of the disease. Oral sex
Oral sex can cause throat, and mouth cancers because HPV is transmitted during the oral sex. Health Day (Aug 2007) has reported that although head and neck cancers have started declining due to considerable cessation of smoking by men and women, throat and mouth cancers due to HPV have not declined probably because of indulgence in oral sex. While smoking in America has reduced from 42. 5 % in 1965 to 21 % in 2005 corroborated by declining rate of head and neck cancers, the rate of throat, tongue and mouth cancers cases have gone up to 8000 cases in 2005 from 6000 in 1995.