What is HPV and what causes it?
The human papilloma virus HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection.
The vaccine is routinely offered to girls between the ages of 12 and 13 as part of the NHS vaccination programme and is offered for free to girls from age 12 up to their 18th birthday, but it is also recommended for men and women under the age of 27 in order to help protect them against these diseases.
The vaccine protects against the HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. Types 6 and 11 cause 90% of genital warts. Genital warts are benign growths which occur in the genital area. They are not dangerous but they need to be treated, and you can also pass them onto other sexual partners. Once you have been infected, you may remain contagious for life and the warts can recur at any point in life, especially if your immune system is weakened. Types 16 and 18 (and others) are the primary cause of cervical cancer in women and they are also associated with cancers of the vagina, throat, penis and anus.
HPV Signs and Symptoms:
In many cases, infection does not cause any symptoms, but it can cause genital warts, and even lead to genital cancers, including cervical cancer (the second most common form of cancer in young women). The infection often clears by itself due to your body’s immune response. In some cases, however, the infection persists and remains unnoticed. In these cases, it could lead to cancerous lesions. HPV is the most common cause of cervical cancer and infection with certain types of HPV greatly increases your risk of getting cervical cancer
How to minimise risk of HPV:
The use of condoms reduces your risk of contracting HPV. However, condoms are not 100% effective at preventing HPV infection as the virus can be present on the skin in the entire genital area.
Vaccination Information
The HPV vaccines consists of two or three doses depending on age. If you are 15 or older, you require three doses to be protected. The second dose should be given at least one month after the first. The third dose has to be given at least three months after the second dose. All three doses have to be given within the course of one year.
