HPV is one of those diseases that tends to strike not only fear but also curiosity in the hearts of people when they hear it uttered. Both these feelings are the result of many factors but namely the fact that there is conflicting information in the media tending to cause confusion about the disease. In fact, referring to HPV as just one disease is inaccurate, because there are dozens of strains of Human Papillomavirus. Though some strains are quite benign, others can lead to increased risk of cervical cancer.
There are many misconceptions and rumors about HPV that people consider fact, particularly the idea that the HPV virus can go through the latex in condoms, making condoms completely defenseless against stopping transmission of the virus. A big reason for this is that there is not much definitive research available on the subject; consistent research with a high degree of validity is still in progress. At this time there's no definite proof as to whether condoms can prevent transmission of HPV. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, found the frequency of cervical cancer development (caused by the high-risk strains of the virus) in women who used condoms every time they had sex with their partner to be slightly less than half that of women who did not use condoms. This seems to suggest that until better research comes along, it still pays to follow the "Don't be a fool..." policy.
Though most people associate HPV with cervical cancer, there's no reason to panic if your girlfriend, boyfriend or inflatable doll tells you he/she/it might have HPV. There are a staggering number of strains that have no real symptoms, strains that your immune system eventually washes out and strains that simply cause the occasional bout of genital warts (not pretty, but much preferable to a life-threatening ailment). That being said, there are of course cancer-causing strains of the virus. Though these are not guaranteed to give you tumors, according to the CDC's Web site, they increase the risk heavily. In fact, having a high risk-type infection of HPV is the prerequisite for that particular type of cancer.
Fortunately, the American Social Health Association has good news! For men, there seem to be few or no consequences of contracting virtually any strain of HPV, and especially not the high-risk, cancer-causing strains. (Hint: You can't get cervical cancer if you don't have a cervix.) Even better, the powers that be decided keeping men cancer-free wasn't good enough and created several defensive steps for women, ranging from the simple to the extreme.
The CDC's Web site outlines the first and easiest line of defense: having an annual pap smear. I am the last person to recommend this -- mostly because I don't even know what a pap smear is -- but apparently it can test for the DNA strands of HPV viruses as well as any cell abnormalities in "that region" that can be caused by an infection. Unfortunately, there is no actual test available to check whether men have HPV. This might not seem like such a big deal since men can't contract cancer as a result of an infection, but as a man, I would appreciate knowing whether I was putting my future wife, poor thing, at risk of developing cervical cancer.
Even better than the tests, though, is the invention of the HPV vaccine called Gardasil. According to the CDC's Web site, the vaccine claims nearly 100 percent effectiveness against some long-term as well as short-term types of infections and should prevent approximately 70 percent of cervical cancers. The vaccine is available in the United States and is administered as a series of three shots over time. Even more astounding is the fact that the United Kingdom plans to vaccinate all females over age 12 for free. Though this may not catch on with the penny-pinching Uncle Sam, the vaccine's cost is manageable ($360 and covered by many major health insurance providers).
In short, HPV isn't something to be joked about. Sure, it's much less terrifying than HIV (and much less hilarious than syphilis), but it can cause life-threatening complications. Immunization and regular pap smears for women as well as slightly less promiscuous and more condom-heavy sex for men will help prevent widespread transmission. Conversely, though it should be taken seriously, contracting HPV may not the end of the world for a person; less than one-third of the strains actually cause cancer.
Beau Griffith is a Health & Sexuality columnist. He can be reached at griffith@cavalierdaily.com
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