Recently my wife tested with HPV. I want to know how the virus will affect me.
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My age is 25 years old and my partner’s age is 22. Recently she tested with HPV. I want to know how the virus will affect me. Do I need to consult a doctor?
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HPV is one of the very common STDs. It spreads by ‘unprotected sex’ with infected partner. There are around ‘seventy’ variations of HPV, and all of them can cause infections. Many HPV infected people do not have any symptoms. They act as carriers and can pass the virus to others unknowingly through sexual contact. Moreover, condom does not adequately protect against HPV transmission. There is no way to ensure that you will not get infected if you have sex with infected partner. If the infected person does show any symptoms like warts or flat lesions on or around the genital organs, they usually appear three weeks to eight months after the sexual contact with such a partner. The most unsafe period for transmission is thus, before any visible signs and symptoms appear.
Once infected with HPV, it can never be completely eliminated. The treatment is basically aimed at removing the visible warts, thus reducing the number of viral particles and possibly stimulating the body’s immune response to help control the infection. Vaccines for HPV are available in India since 2008. You must go and get the vaccine at your earliest. Even your partner can get the vaccine. Even if a person in already infected with one strain of HPV, one can still benefit from the vaccine, as it can protect one from other strains of HPV that one is not yet infected with. However, the vaccines cannot treat an existing strain of HPV infection. It protects you from other strains of HPV you haven’t yet been exposed to.