HPV (Human PapillomaVirus):
Human papillomavirus is one of the most common STDs. An estimated 40 million Americans are infected with HPV, with 1 million new cases each year. HPV is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 80 different types. Certain types of HPV cause warts on the hands or feet, while others can cause genital warts on the vulva, vagina, anus, cervix, penis or scrotum. These may be raised or flat, single or multiple, small or large. Some cluster together; some can't be seen by the naked eye (subclinical infection). Often flesh-colored and painless, genital warts only rarely cause symptoms such as itching, pain or bleeding. HPV and genital warts are usually spread by direct, skin-to-skin contact during sex. Warts might appear within several weeks after sex with an infected person, they might take months to appear or they might never appear. Very little is known about the transmission of subclinical HPV infection. Other types of HPV (not the types that cause genital warts) are strongly linked to cervical cancer. Yearly Pap smears are recommended to detect the abnormal cell growth caused by HPV that may progress to cervical cancer. If detected in time, the progression of cervical HPV can be stopped, and even cervical cancer can usually be treated successfully.
|
