About 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. Learn
more about what it is, how it’s transmitted and common
misperceptions
Chances are you’ve heard about HPV. The ad campaign asking women to “tell someone” has inundated television, popped up in banners on Web sites and found its way onto magazine pages. You probably know the line: “A cancer caused by a virus! I want to tell someone.” But how much do you really know about human papillomavirus?
“I guess you kinda think about it when you see those commercials on TV, but that’s about it,” said Hazel Diaz, a 14-year-old student at Gilroy High School.
“Yeah, I don’t know much about it,” agreed Kerri Mammini, also 14 and a student at GHS.
The “tell someone” campaign is funded by Merck, the makers of a new vaccine called Gardasil. The vaccine is designed to protect women against four particular “high-risk” strains of HPV. The series of three shots are approved for females ranging from 9 to 26 years old.
“Parents aren’t asking me for the vaccine, which surprises me,” said Dr. Anita Tolentino-Macaraeg, a pediatrician in Hollister. “The ads are everywhere, so I expected more people to talk to me about HPV. But even if they don’t ask me, I tell them about the vaccine and that it’s recommended by the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).”
Parents may not be asking about the vaccine because they hear the words “cervical cancer” and “sexually transmitted disease” and assume the vaccine is for older women, Tolentino-Macaraeg said. But the vaccine works best when given to younger girls before they become sexually active and are exposed to the high-risk strains of the virus.
There are more than 100 strains of HPV. Two of the four high-risk strains of HPV, types 16 and 18, cause 70 percent of cervical cancers, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Types 6 and 11 cause about 90 percent of genital warts. All four are sexually transmitted.
“Both men and women get HPV, though many people may never show symptoms,” said Dr. Pam Edillon, an OB/GYN physician at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Gilroy. “People may live with certain strains of HPV for most of their lives and be perfectly fine. But some strains cause serious health issues.”
HPV can be passed not only during unprotected sex but also through genital skin contact, Edillon said.
“It’s very possible to be a virgin and still get HPV,” she explained. “Plenty of people who aren’t having sexual intercourse may be involved with heavy petting, and other people who don’t consider oral sex actual sex can pass the virus through skin contact.”
Women are tested for HPV when they get Pap smears, Edillon said. Many strains of HPV will cause the results of the smear to come back slightly abnormal. When this happens, a few other tests are done to determine if the strain is high-risk. If the tests show signs of precursors to cervical cancers, women may need a biopsy.
Men are generally not tested for HPV, but the same strains that can cause cervical cancer in women are believed to cause certain cancers around the anal area in homosexual men, Edillon added.
“There are some groups that think by giving girls vaccines preventing the high-risk strains of HPV, we are condoning promiscuity,” Edillon said. “That’s not what we’re doing at all. The bottom line is cervical cancer prevention. I would hate to think people would avoid having their children vaccinated because they think it’s giving them a license to sleep with whoever they want. The vaccine only works against one kind of STD, and with the number of people already living with HPV as high as it is, it just makes sense to try and control the numbers in future generations. Think of it as a kind of insurance policy, just like any other vaccine.”
About 20 million people are currently infected with HPV, and around 6 million sexually active Americans will get a new genital HPV infection each year, according to the CDC. About one in four women with HPV have a high-risk strain, Edillon estimated.
The vaccine will be readily available in late fall. Many health insurance carriers are covering the cost of the vaccine, which is about $350 for the three shots. There are currently no known serious side effects to the vaccine, but it’s also not clear if a booster shot will be needed following the initial vaccination, Tolentino-Macaraeg said.
“Talk to your doctor,” she added. “Ask them your questions, talk about your concerns and then go from there. That’s what we’re here for.”
