HPV:

What
You
Need
To
Know
1

Table of Content
1.

What Exactly is an

STD?............3
2.
Types of
STD.......................3
3.
Most Common Case of STD in
America.4
4.
How HPV
Spreads....................4
5.
Symptoms of
HPV....................5
6.
How to Prevent
Infection.........5-6
7.
Treatment.........................
.6
8.
References........................
.7

W hat exactly is an STD?

STD, or more commonly known as a sexually transmitted disease, is
an infectious disease that can be spread from person to person
through sexual contact. An STD can affect men or women from all
ages and ethnic backgrounds.
An STD is not just some infection that you can cure with
medication, some diseases such as herpes and chlamydia are
treatable, but not curable. If left untreated STDs can cause
permanent damage such as infertility in both men and women, and
in more extreme cases, even death.

Types of STDs

Bacterial Vaginosis
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Hepatitis
Herpes
HIV/AIDS

Human
Papillomavirus
(HPV)
Pelvic
Inflammatory
Disease (PID)
Syphilis
Trichomoniasis
Chancroid
Lymphogranuloma
Venerum (LGV)
Mycoplasma
Genitalium
Pubic Lice
Scabies

Most Common
Case of STD
in America
In America the most
common sexually
transmitted disease
is HPV (or human
papillomavirus infection). In fact, HPV is so common the most
sexually active men and women are infected at some point in
their lives. Some symptoms of HPV are such as genital warts
and cancers, these symptoms can be prevented by vaccines.

How HPV Spreads

HPV is spread most commonly though vaginal and anal sex,
even though these two are the most common it can also be
spread through oral sex. The virus can be spread by someone
who hast showed symptoms of the infection.

Symptoms of HPV
In most of the cases HPV is shown in, the infection tends to
go away on its own. When the virus does not go away it
leads to genital wars and cancers. Genital warts appear in
the genital are, they can appear as one small bump or in a
group. HPV can also develop cancer in the back of the
throat, commonly known as oropharyngeal cancer. There is no
way to know who will develop the type of HPV the can give
you cancer or genital warts. Usually a person who has
problems with their immune system are the one who are most
likely to develop cancer symptoms.

How to Prevent Infection

Even though HPV isnt preventable by vaccine, you can still
get a vaccine to prevent yourself from getting cancers or
genital warts. If you are a parent it is recommended to give
your children the vaccine in between the ages of 11 and 12
years old. A catch up vaccine should also happen from the
ages of 21 to 26 years old. If you are sexually active, make
sure you are using a condom with your partner in order to
have a higher chance of prevention.

There is no test to tell you if you have HPV. The HPV tests
are only used to detect cancer in the patients. Most people
only find out they have HPV when they notice the genital
warts.
6

Treatment
There is no actual treatment for the HPV virus. There is
only treatment for the symptoms of HPV; Genital warts and
cervical precancer.

References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Genital
HPV Infection [Data file]. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm
American Cancer Society. (2014). What is HPV? [Data file].
Retrieved from
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/i
nfectiousagents/hpv/humanpapillomavirusandhpvvaccinesfaq/hpv
-faq-what-is-hpv