hpv virus
Human Papilloma Ciruses (HPV) is a virus that infects humans.
Some of the effects of the virus are associated with sexually
transmitted diseases (STD's). Over one hundred strains of the
virus have been identified by Scientists. Most of these strains
are harmless. Some of these strains can produce common skin
warts which appear on the hands and feet. Approximately thirty
strains are spread through sexual contact. Some of these thirty
can cause visible warts known as genital warts, while others can
cause cervical and genital cancer.
HPV greatly outnumbers other std's making it the most common
sexually transmitted infection. An estimated 80% of sexually
active adults are infected with one or more genital
HPV strains at some point in their life. The vast majority
of infected people suffer no side effects from the virus, which
means that most of these people don't even know that they are
infected. This lack of knowledge doesn't stop them from
infecting others though. The immune system is usually able to
clear the virus from the body within a year. After the virus is
cleared from the body, that individual person is immune to that
particular strain of HPV.
HPV is almost an unavoidable and invisible result of sexual
activity. For this reason, most health authorities recommend
that women have an annual pap smear following their first sexual
activity, to ensure early detection of cervical cancer.
The only safe way to prevent HPV transmission is to abstain from
any contact with the genitals of others. Not even "safe sex",
the use of Condoms, can provide complete protection from the
virus. It's not advisable to just practice safe sex. Perfect
Abstinence!