On earth, about 80% of the population is infected with the human papilloma virus. It is very important to know how HPV is transmitted, as not only harmless papillomas, but also genital warts and malignant degenerate growths can occur in the body due to HPV infection. Perhaps this information will help someone avoid infection and prevent dangerous diseases such as cervical cancer, vulva, vagina, anal canal, penis, and even breast cancer. In the article we will tell you about HPV: how it is transmitted, risk factors and preventive measures.
How is the human papilloma virus transmitted?
First of all, it should be said that papilloma is transmitted through the epidermis and saliva. At the same time, the infection may not make itself felt for a while, and it can only manifest itself with a decrease in immunity and the formation of genital warts and papillomas.
If we talk about how the Papilloma virus is transmitted, the possibility of infection increases significantly if there are wounds, scratches and abrasions on the skin.
Attention!Many people wonder if the papilloma is inherited. Answer is no. When a family member is infected, the papilloma virus is transmitted from mother to baby in everyday life or during childbirth.
The following ways of transmission of viral infection from person to person are known:
- It is transmitted through everyday life, ie touch, common household items, clothing. The infection can be transmitted by kissing.
- If a person has genital papillomas, they may be sexually transmitted, that is, during unprotected sexual intercourse.
- Self-infection is possible during shaving, epilation and other skin damage. Because papilloma is contagious to surrounding healthy skin cells, a person can pass the virus from diseased areas of the body to healthy ones.
- The vertical route of infection is the transmission of infection from mother to child at birth.
- Less frequently, infection occurs during blood transfusions during the surgical removal of neoplasms caused by HPV. In addition, infection is not excluded in beauty salons, manicure rooms, baths, saunas and swimming pools where asepsis rules are neglected.
Talking about how you can get papilloma, in 70% of cases of sexual infection, a man is the culprit. In the presence of an epithelial neoplasm on the lips or genitals, the probability of infection is almost 90%. It should also be remembered that although the presence of a condom reduces the risk of infection, it still does not guarantee 100% protection, because HPV can penetrate the skin of the hands and other parts of the body through microtrauma. Moreover, condylomas can be localized in the groin or groin area where a condom will 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 risk of infection of the other partner is significantly reduced.
If you list all the ways you can become infected with papilloma virus in a newborn, the likelihood of infection in the prenatal period is low, since the virus does not enter the bloodstream and the fetus is reliably protected by amniotic fluid, bladder and placenta. However, in medical practice, rare cases of intrauterine infection with damage to the placenta and fetal bladder have been recorded.
For women planning pregnancy, it is very important to know if the father of the child is contagious and whether he can pass the infection to the expectant mother, because genital warts that occur during pregnancy are very dangerous for the child. If the baby is infected during birth, there is a threat of laryngeal papillomatosis followed by choking. Since the infection is transmitted through saliva, it is important to take into account the presence of papillomas, warts and warts in a man's mouth and on the mucosa of the oral cavity, because a woman can become infected with oral sex.
If a family member has papilloma, how it is transmitted in everyday life, it is important for all family members to know:
- through shared bedding, towels, soap, cosmetics, washcloths and other personal items, the virus can enter microtrauma on the skin;
- saliva infection is possible when using a toothbrush, glasses or other equipment;
- infection is also possible through clothing and other household items.
Risk Factors
We found out how you can get infected with human papillomavirus, but it is equally important to know not only the ways of transmission but also the risk factors for infection with the human papilloma virus.
Thus, the human papilloma virus penetrates much more easily into the skin and mucous membranes against the background of the following triggering factors:
- Infection in men, children and women most likely occurs against the background of reduced immunity. A cold or sore throat can contribute to this.
- The risk of contracting HPV increases when the intestine or vaginal microflora is disrupted. In the first case, the general immunity is damaged, in the second case, the local defense of the body decreases and the probability of being sexually contracted increases.
- The genital tract of infection more often causes infection against the background of other sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis).
- Any route of transmission can be potentially dangerous for a person against the background of an exacerbation of a chronic disease when the body is weakened by disease.
- There is no doubt that papillomas are contagious. The virus can easily penetrate the cells of a healthy person from the host if its defenses are weakened by stress, energy loss, overwork, or depression.
Important!Any virus is more easily transmitted to men and women with bad habits (smoking, alcohol). The risk of infection is also significantly increased in women using combined contraceptives.
The following conditions and diseases are factors that predispose to sexual transmission of the virus:
- early onset of sexual activity;
- prostitution; Frequent change of
- sexual partner;
- random sex life;
- history of sexually transmitted diseases;
- is over 35 years old;
- pathology of the cervix;
- immunodeficiency states.
Prevention
We found how the human papilloma virus (women, men and children) is transmitted, now we continue to consider prevention measures. It should be said right away that the most effective way not to get infected is a preventive vaccination. To date, 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 early vaccination, before sexual intercourse or before infection with one of the HPV strains.
As for other methods of protection, no one has canceled the hygiene rules, the use of condoms, a selective sex life, and the rejection of bad habits. It is useful to maintain the strength of the immune system: eat right, anger, exercise, walk in the fresh air, periodically drink vitamins.