How HPV is transmitted and methods of infection

On earth, about 80% of the population is infected with the human papillomavirus. Since, due to HPV infection, not only harmless papillomas can appear on the body, but also genital warts, as well as outgrowths that can malignantly degenerate, 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 cancer of the uterine cervix, 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 human papillomavirus transmitted?

First, it should be said that papilloma is transmitted through the epidermis and saliva. At the same time, for some time the infection may not make itself felt and manifest itself by the formation of genital warts and papillomas only with a decrease in immunity.

If we talk about how the papilloma virus is transmitted, then the likelihood of infection increases significantly if there are injuries, scratches and abrasions on the skin.

Attention!Many people wonder if papilloma is inherited. The answer is no. It's just that when one of the family members is infected, the papilloma virus is transmitted in everyday life or from mother to baby during childbirth.

The following ways of transmission of viral infection from person to person are known:

1. It is transmitted through everyday life, that is, through touch, common household items, clothing. Infection can be transmitted through kissing.
2. If a person has genital papillomas, transmission could have occurred sexually, that is, during unprotected sex.
3. Self-infection is possible during shaving, epilation and other skin damage. Since the papilloma is contagious to the surrounding healthy skin cells, a person himself can transfer the virus from diseased parts of the body to healthy ones.
4. The vertical route of infection is the transmission of the infection from mother to child during birth.
5. Much less often, infection occurs during blood transfusion, during the surgical removal of neoplasms caused by HPV. Also, infection is not excluded in beauty salons, manicure rooms, baths, saunas and pools, where the rules of asepsis are neglected.

If we talk about how you can get papilloma, then in 70% of cases of sexual infection, the culprit is a man. In the presence of an 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 through microtrauma on the skin of the hands and other parts of the body. Moreover, condylomas can be localized in the groin or pubic region, 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 he 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 how you can become infected with papillomavirus in a newborn, then infection in the intrauterine period is unlikely, since the virus does not penetrate into the blood and the fetus is reliably protected by amniotic fluid, bladder and placenta. However, in medical practice, rare cases of intrauterine infection have been recorded with damage to the placenta and fetal bladder.

For women planning a pregnancy, it is very important to know if the father of the child is contagious and whether he can transmit the infection to the expectant mother, since genital warts that appear during pregnancy are very dangerous for the child. In case of infection of the baby during childbirth, there is a threat of laryngeal papillomatosis and subsequent suffocation. Since the infection is transmitted through saliva, it is important to take into account the presence of papillomas, warts and warts in the man's mouth and on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity in a man, because a woman can become infected with oral sex.

If a family member has a papilloma, how 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 microtraumas on the skin;
• saliva infection is possible when using one toothbrush, glasses or other utensils;
• infection through clothing and other household items is also possible.

Risk Factors

We figured out how you can get infected with the human papillomavirus, but it is equally important to know not only the transmission routes, but also the risk factors for infection with the human papillomavirus.

So, human papillomavirus penetrates much easier into the skin and mucous membranes against the background of the following provoking factors:

1. In men, children and women, infection is most likely against the background of reduced immunity. A common cold or sore throat can contribute to this.

2. The risk of contracting HPV increases when the intestinal or vaginal microflora is disturbed. In the first case, general immunity suffers, in the second case, the local defenses of the body decrease, and the likelihood of contracting sexually increases.
3. The genital tract of infection more often becomes the cause of infection against the background of other sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis).
4. Any means 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 the disease.
5. There is no doubt whether papillomas are contagious. The virus can easily penetrate from the host into the cells of a healthy person if his defenses are weakened by stress, loss of energy, overwork or depression.

Important!Any 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 taking combined contraceptives.

The following conditions and diseases are predisposing factors for sexual transmission of the virus:

• earlier onset of sexual activity;
• prostitution;
• frequent change of sexual partners;
• promiscuous sex life;
• history of sexually transmitted diseases;
• age is over 35;
• pathology of the cervix;
• immunodeficiency states.

Prevention

We figured out how the human papillomavirus (women, men and children) is transmitted, now it remains to consider prevention measures. It should be said right away that the most effective way not to get infected is 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 observed only 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 canceled the rules of hygiene, the use of a condom, a choosy sex life and the rejection of bad habits. It is useful to maintain the strength of the immune system: eat right, temper, exercise, walk in the fresh air, periodically drink vitamins.