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LEARN ABOUT HPV
> Consumer/Patient Fact Sheet
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- Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an extremely common STD, with an estimated 80 percent of sexually active people contracting it at some point in their lives; 5.5 million new infections occur yearly in the United States.
- HPV can infect anyone who has ever had a sexual encounter.
- In most cases, the virus is harmless and symptomless. It is often transient.
- The majority of women with an HPV infection will not develop cervical cancer, but regular screening is crucial.
- Certain high-risk strains of HPV cause cervical lesions which, over a period of time, can develop into cancer if untreated.
- Cervical cancer most commonly takes 10 years to 20 years or more to develop; women who are no longer sexually active should continue to be screened.
- Cervical cancer is the first cancer in women to be identified as being caused almost exclusively by a virus.
- If an HPV infection is persistent past the age of 30, there is a greater risk of developing cervical cancer.
- 30 percent of "negative" Pap smears are falsely negative (abnormal cells are present on the cervix but not detected on the Pap). These abnormal cell changes may lead to cervical cancer in some women.
- Regular pap smears, supplemented by HPV testing, will detect virtually all pre-cancerous changes and cervical cancers.
- Cervical cancer is completely preventable if precancerous cell changes are detected and treated early, before cervical cancer develops.
- General STD information is accessible via ASHA's Web sites at: www.ashastd.org and www.iwannaknow.org for teens.
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