About 80% of the population on earth are infected with the human papillomavirus. Since HPV infection can cause not only harmless papillomas to appear on the body, but also genital warts and malignantly degenerated growths, it is very important to know how HPV is transmitted. Perhaps this knowledge will help someone avoid infection and protect themselves from such dangerous diseases as cervical cancer, vulva, vagina, anal passage, penis, and even breast. In the article we will tell you about HPV: how it is transmitted, risk factors and preventive measures.
How is the human papillomavirus transmitted?
First of all, it should be said that the papilloma is transmitted through the epidermis and saliva. At the same time, the infection may not be noticeable and manifest for some time through the formation of genital warts and papillomas, only with a decrease in immunity.
When we talk about how the papillomavirus is transmitted, the likelihood of infection increases significantly when there are injuries, scratches and abrasions on the skin.
Attention!Many people wonder if the papilloma is inherited. The answer is no. It's just that if a family member is infected, the papillomavirus is transmitted from mother to baby in everyday life or during childbirth.
The following types of person-to-person transmission of viral infections are known:
- It is transmitted through everyday life, that is, through touch, ordinary household items, clothing. The infection can be spread through kissing.
- If a person has genital papillomas, the transmission could have occurred sexually, that is, during unprotected intercourse.
- Self-infection is possible during shaving, epilation and other skin damage. Because the papilloma is contagious to the healthy skin cells around it, a person can transmit the virus from diseased parts of the body to healthy ones himself.
- The vertical route of infection is the transmission of infection from mother to child during birth.
- Infection occurs much less often during blood transfusion, during the surgical removal of HPV-caused neoplasms. Infection cannot be ruled out even in beauty salons, manicure rooms, baths, saunas and swimming pools, where the rules of asepsis are neglected.
If we talk about how you can get a papilloma, then 70% of all sexual infection cases, the culprit is a man. In the presence of epithelial neoplasm on the lips or genitals, the likelihood of infection is almost 90%. It should also be borne in mind that the presence of a condom, although it reduces the risk of infection, still does not guarantee 100% protection, since HPV can penetrate the skin of the hands and other parts of the body through microtrauma. In addition, condylomas can be localized in the groin or pubic area, where a condom does not protect against direct contact with a partner.
Important!If one of the partners is a carrier of the virus but does not have papillomas, warts, or genital warts, the other partner's risk of infection is significantly reduced.
If you list all the ways in which you can become infected with papillomavirus in a newborn, infection during pregnancy is unlikely because the virus does not get into the bloodstream and the fetus is reliably protected by the amniotic fluid, bladder and placentabecomes. However, in medical practice, rare cases of intrauterine infection with damage to the placenta and fetal bladder have been recorded.
For women planning a pregnancy, it is very important to know if the child's father is contagious and if he can pass the infection on to the mother-to-be, since genital warts that appear during pregnancy are very beneficial to the childare dangerous. If the baby is infected during childbirth, there is a risk of laryngeal papillomatosis and subsequent suffocation. Since the infection is spread through saliva, it is important to consider the presence of papillomas, genital warts, and warts in the man's mouth and on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, as oral sex can infect a woman.
If a family member has a papilloma, as it is transmitted in everyday life, it is important for all household members to know:
- Through shared bed linen, towels, soap, cosmetics, washcloths, and other personal items, the virus can penetrate microtrauma on the skin.
- Saliva infection is possible if you use a toothbrush, glasses, or other utensil. A
- infection through clothing and other household items is also possible.
Risk factors
We found out how to get infected with the human papillomavirus. However, it is equally important to know not only the routes of transmission, but also the risk factors for infection with the human papillomavirus.
The human papillomavirus penetrates the skin and mucous membranes much more easily against the background of the following provoking factors:
- In men, children and women, infection is most likely against the background of decreased immunity. A cold or a sore throat can help.
- The risk of HPV infection increases when the intestinal or vaginal microflora is disturbed. In the first case, general immunity suffers, in the second, the body's local defenses decrease and the likelihood of sexual contraction increases.
- The genital tract of infection is more often the cause of infection against the background of other sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis).
- Any means of transmission can be potentially dangerous for a person against the background of an exacerbation of a chronic disease if the body is weakened by the disease.
- There is no doubt that papillomas are contagious. The virus can easily enter the cells of a healthy person from the host if their defenses are weakened by stress, loss of energy, overwork or depression.
Important!Viruses are more easily transmitted to men and women who have bad habits (smoking, alcohol). The risk of infection is also significantly increased in women who take combined contraceptives.
The following conditions and diseases are predisposing factors for the sexual transmission of the virus:
- earlier start of sexual activity;
- prostitution;
- frequent change of sexual partner;
- promiscuous sex life;
- history of sexually transmitted diseases;
- age is over 35;
- pathology of the cervix;
- Immunodeficiency states.
Prevention
We have found out how the human papillomavirus is transmitted (women, men and children). Now preventive measures still need to be considered. Immediately it should be said that the most effective way not to get infected is preventive vaccination. So far, two types of vaccines are known for this infection. They protect against the most dangerous oncogenic strains of viral infection. However, the high effectiveness of such protection is only observed with vaccination at an early age, before sexual intercourse or before infection with one of the HPV strains.
As for other prevention methods, no one has broken the rules of hygiene, condom use, gender discrimination and giving up bad habits. It is useful to maintain the strength of the immune system: eat properly, temperature, play sports, get fresh air, regularly drink vitamins.