Blog # 7: HPV

I first have to warn you that the images you will be viewing on this blog are quite disturbing.

I decided to discuss Human Papillomavirus (HPV) because I a friend of mine contracted the virus.

First I will begin with HPV. A close friend of both my fiance and I daughter contracted HPV with her first sexual experience. I remember the mother telling us "my daughters life is over, now she can never have a healthy sexual relationship with another man at the right time. This is going to haunt her for the rest of her life. What am I to do now?" When I heard this I though the same thing her sexual life is over, she should have waited until marriage. But at this time I really had no idea how serious HPV was I barely knew what it was and how it was transmitted.

What is Human Papillomavirus (HPV)?

• a.k.a Genital Human Papillomavirus
• One of the most commonly STI
• More than 40 types that can effect the genitals of both male and female, it also can affect mouth and throat.
• The infected could be ignorant of the virus for years, until they have symptoms.
• It has two distinct forms "High-risk" and "Low-Risk"

How is it HPV spread and Who does it affect?

• It is known to be spread through sexual intercourse (Genital-skin-to-genital-skin contact) (Jones,Barlett 2010, pg. 185).
• It can be contract during vaginal and anal sexual intercourse or during oral sex
• Same sex partners are can get it as well, it is not bias nor sexes. Most sexually active persons will contract HPV in there life time
• One can spread HPV with no evidence of be infected, that is why it is important for everyone who has had more than one sexual partner to be tested and to have physical exams on regular basis.
• It is rare that a mother who is pregnant with a child to pass it to the infant during childbirth. In a circumstance such as these, the infant could develop JORRP " Juvenile Onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis"(CDC).
• Both male and female can be affected by this.
• It is also possible to get more than one type of the virus (HR & LR), but "HR cannot turn into LR and vice versa" (Jones, Barlett, 2010, pg. 185).

How to prevent it and How to treat it

• Gardasil is a vaccine approved by the FDA, protects people against the two strains HR & LR of HPV. These two strains together  causes 70 % of the reported cases of Cervical Cancer and 90% of genital warts (Jones, Barlett, 2010, pg. 185)
• If vaccine and screening team up HPV and Cervical cancer could be eliminated.
• There is no cure,  but the symptoms can be treated.
• Visible genital warts can be treated with medication or some decided to let the warts disappear on their own.
• Abnormal Cervical Cells  will become normal after a while, but they might turn into cancer. If it continues then "Laser ablation,cold coagulation and cryotherapy (freezing) treat just the part of the cervix that contains abnormal cells" (Cancerhelp.org)
• Use condoms, although male condoms are not 100% not even 99.5% sure to prevent it. It is know that female condoms are more affective. The best way to prevent the spread of HPV is to abstaine from sexual activity.

         I am not a fan of vaccines or medicine because I believe that the side affects can cause more problems then the actual symptoms, however if you are sexually active with more than one partner it is advise to get screened and you should get the vaccination. The CDC advises that girls are 11 and 12 years of age should be vaccinated and females between the age of 13 to 26 who have not received a full vaccination. Gardasil is administered in a series of 3 injections in a 6 month period. The Vaccine is very effective and can prevent you from suffering from HR (high risk: can cause, Cervical dysplasia which could result in death and  cervical cancer) and LR (low risk: genital warts, and cauliflower like warts around the anus) strain of the virus. The only sure way of know that you have HPV is by having a DNA test done of the actual virus, it is 100 % effective at diagnosing HPV than a Pap Smear. HPV can be spread even without any signs, so the best method of prevention is screenings and abstain from sexual activity
         I pray that my friends daughter is getting the help that she needs. The mother has expressed that her daughter feels dirty and undesirable now, knowing that she can never really feel comfortable being sexually intimate with a man anymore is taking its toll on her.

I was going to post some photos, but I could not bring myself to post them, they are just to much for me and I am usually not squeamish.  So I will just post milder photos and some other images related to HPV.

HPV can cause Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, which could cause warts to appear in the throat

  

This could be treate with surgery or medication

Low Risk HPV: