What is HPV & HPV Vaccine?
Human papillomavirus, often abbreviated as HPV, is a common sexually transmitted disease that can cause warts in numerous body parts. There are more than 200 known HPV strains in the world. Depending on the strain people have been infected with, the symptom manifests itself differently. Low-risk types like HPV 6 and 11 usually trigger warts in the mouth, and some genital areas, including the vulva, cervix, vagina, penis, scrotum, and anus. While high-risk types like HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68 are closely associated with cervical cancer, penile cancer, vulvar cancer, anal cancer, oropharyngeal cancers, and vaginal cancer.
HPV infection is prevalent in the United States, and approximately 13 million Americans are diagnosed with HPV each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unvaccinated people having active sexual activities will get HPV at some point in their lives. Therefore, HPV vaccination is an effective approach to prevent HPV-related warts and cancers. The proven statistics from clinical trials show that HPV warts have decreased 88% in teen girls receiving HPV vaccination and 81% in young adult women receiving HPV vaccination. The proportion of HPV-caused cervical cancer has dropped by 40% among vaccinated women. [1]
