Q: What is HPV, and should I be worried about it?
A: You’re talking about the human papillomavirus, and, yes, it is cause for some concern. Transmitted through vaginal, anal, and oral sex — or even skin-to-skin genital contact — it’s the number one sexually transmitted disease in the U.S., with 6.2 million people newly infected with HPV each year. Your partner is unlikely to know if he or she has it, since there are often no symptoms. HPV strains that don’t cause visible symptoms (some strains cause warts) are linked to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, mouth, anus, and penis. Condoms help, but you can still become infected through skin not covered by the condom. The FDA is considering a vaccine for men nine to 26 years old — trials show it to be 90.4 percent effective against four major strains of HPV. A vaccine already exists for females under age 26. Until a vaccine is available, practice safe sex and ask your doctor to screen you for HPV-related cancers.
E-mail your questions for Dr. Bob Arnot to dr.bob@mensjournal.com.
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This article originally appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.
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July 16th, 2009 at 9:44 am
Your readers may be interested in the book “The HPV Vaccine Controversy: Sex, Cancer, God and Politics” authored by Shobha S. Krishnan, M.D, Barnard college, Columbia University. It is available at amazon.com and Barnes and Noble .com and is written without the influence of any pharmaceutical company or special interest groups. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, June 17th 2009) calls the book superb and a terrific contribution to the field. Link to the book: http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C35011.aspx
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July 20th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Is a cure for HSV-1 close? In the meantime, are there any non-pharmaceutical treatments?
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