HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV)

What is HPV?

    This is human papillomavirus in full. It is a group of more than 150 different kinds of viruses. Some types never cause any problem,while others can lead to health issues including certain kinds of cancer. You don't always see signs of HPV ,you can have it and not aware of it.

      This is HIV positive patient exhibiting signs of a secondary Condyloma acuminata infection,ie venereal warts which was caused by the human papillomavirus.

How it is spread

It is spread through skin to skin contact. It's the most common kind of sexually transmitted infection, though in most cases not recognized.

Almost everyone who's sexually active will have at least one type of HPV at some point.

If your partner has it,you can as well get it even if they don't have the symptoms.

Signs of the infection

Small hard sores called warts,not everyone who has HPV has them and vice versa.

There is no cure for these kinds of infections. In most cases,you never even know you had one.Most times the warts go by themselves naturally.

However, as they go away within a year or two,some types of the virus stick on body cells and cause cancer types like vulva cancer, cervical cancer, respiratory tract tumors and it is the most cause of cervical cancer.

Furthermore, vaccines have been developed and contrary from what is spreading on social media,HPV is not a new break up infection,it is not as infectious as images of infected individuals are exaggerated.

This will shock you but according to CDC(centers for diseases control) where this information has been collected,over 79 million Americans are infected by the HPV infection, meaning that almost every sexually active body will have it in their lives.