Chances are at some point today you crossed paths with someone who has the Human papillomavirus, or HPV. It could be the barista who always wears that yellow beanie and makes your Chai Tea Latte every morning or the desk clerk that greets you everyday on your way up to work, or it could even be you. The point is HPV is everywhere; it is the most common sexually-transmitted infection in the United States. According to the CDC, 79 million Americans are already infected, and roughly 14 million people become newly infected each year from this virus. You’re probably thinking there’s no way you could have HPV and not know about it. Unfortunately, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Those with HPV are sometimes asymptomatic, meaning they are infected but show no sign or symptoms. Even with no signs or symptoms, you are still infectious to anyone with whom you become sexually active.
While there are over 100 varieties of HPV, most of them take the form of genital warts. The Mayo Clinic describes these types of warts as either flat lesions, small cauliflower-like bumps or tiny stem-like protrusions. For women, the warts usually appear on the vulva but have been known to show up near the anus or cervix. For men, they appear on the penis, scrotum or around the anus. Though the warts seldom cause pain, they are known to be quite itchy and uncomfortable. That doesn’t sound too appealing, does it?
Fortunately, there are vaccines that can help stop these health issues from ever happening. In a recent article, it was found that the bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines have exceeded expectations in preventing HPV infections which can lead to cervical cancer for some people. These vaccines contain virus-like particles that stimulate the body to produce antibodies that respond to HPV 16, 18, and two other HPV types. They are extremely effective in prevention of targeted HPV infections. In other words, all hope is not lost! Just make sure to practice safe sex, get regular checkups, and most importantly…get vaccinated. If you do start to develop the signs of HPV, understand that you are not alone. In fact, the CDC reports HPV is so common that almost every person who is sexually active will get it at some point in their life (unless they get the vaccine).
The most well-known quadrivalent HPV vaccine is Gardasil®, while the most-used bivalent HPV vaccine is Cervarix®. A review article from 2012 looked at the clinical trials of both Gardasil® and Cervarix® involving human participants. This article made sure all trials were large (5,500-18,500 vaccinees), blinded, randomized and controlled trials of young women (mean age 20, range 15-26). They found both of the HPV vaccines had great potential as high-value public health interventions and helped in preventing anal and genital HPV infections from occurring. This is the exact reason why I believe vaccines are one of the greatest medical innovations to ever come about. I mean it’s amazing that we possess something powerful enough to prevent us from developing or catching a certain disease. All we have to do is make a conscious effort to go get vaccinated.
The Fascination with Vaccination 