Warning about silent killer you can catch in the bedroom with 600m global cases
People are being warned of a little known condition that can be caught in the bedroom and lead to cancer.
Studies have shown that there is an alarming lack of knowledge among the public about human papillomavirus that can be caught from oral sex and has been linked to some kinds of cancer.
With around 600 million cases of HPV globally, according to the World Health Organization, it is the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease. It means that practically every sexually active person will catch HPV during their life.
The NHS states: “Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a very common group of viruses. They do not cause any problems in most people, but some types can cause genital warts or cancer. HPV affects the skin. There are more than 100 different types.”
And it states “importantly” that “you do not have to have sexual contact with a lot of people to get HPV. You can get HPV the first time you have sex.”
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Scientists have said that there is a worrying lack of knowledge about HPV and the possibility of cancer. It was discussed at the American Association for Cancer Research during its annual meeting where it was revealed that two-thirds of the public know about the dangers.
What is most disturbing is that awareness appears to be decreasing rather than improving and while 70.2% of people asked knew there was a link to cervical cancer they were not aware of other cancer risks.
The AACR said that between 2014 and 2020 there was a drop in knowledge of the link between HPV and anal cancer from 27.9% to 27.4%. Also the number of people who knew of the dangers of oral cancer went from 31.2% to 29.5% and penile cancer from 30.3% to 28.4% over the same period.
“Over 90% of HPV-associated cancers could be prevented with the HPV vaccination, yet vaccine uptake remains suboptimal,” the study’s lead author, Eric Adjei Boakye, PhD, assistant scientist in the Department of Health Sciences and the Department of Otolaryngology at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, said in a press release about the findings.
The NHS states that HPV testing is part of cervical screening and that there is no blood test for HPV. It says that there is no treatment for HPV and most infections cause no problems, leaving the body within two years.
On taking steps to avoid catching HPV it adds: "You cannot fully protect yourself against HPV, but there are things that can help. Condoms can help protect you against HPV, but they do not cover all the skin around your genitals, so you're not fully protected. The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that cause most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer, as well as some other cancers. It does not protect against all types of HPV."
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