{"id":1720,"date":"2025-07-11T18:17:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T18:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/?p=1720"},"modified":"2025-07-11T18:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T18:17:54","slug":"what-is-hpv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/2025\/07\/11\/what-is-hpv\/","title":{"rendered":"What is HPV?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Human Papillomavirus (HPV)<\/strong> is a group of more than 150 related viruses, commonly spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. Most infections are <strong>asymptomatic<\/strong> and clear on their own within two years, but <em>high-risk strains<\/em> (notably types 16 and 18) can persist and lead to cancers of the cervix, anus, penis, vulva, vagina, and throat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why is the HPV Test Important?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>HPV is the cause of nearly <strong>all cervical cancer<\/strong> cases, and <strong>7%<\/strong> of those are linked to high-risk types.<\/li>\n<li>Detecting HPV <strong>before symptoms or cell changes appear<\/strong> enables early intervention.<\/li>\n<li>HPV testing is more <strong>sensitive<\/strong> than Pap alone and can be done as:\n<ul>\n<li>Primary HPV testing every <strong>5 years<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Co-testing (Pap + HPV) every <strong>5 years<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Pap test alone every <strong>3 years<\/strong>, depending on age.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Who Should Get an HPV Test?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Age 21\u201329<\/strong>: Get a Pap test alone every <strong>3 years<\/strong>; HPV testing may be considered starting age 25.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Age 30\u201365<\/strong>: Options include:\n<ul>\n<li>Primary HPV test every <strong>5 years<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Co-testing (HPV + Pap) every <strong>5 years<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Pap alone every <strong>3 years<\/strong>, whichever fits best.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Over 65<\/strong>: Screening may stop if prior tests were consistently negative\u2014but new evidence shows older women may still carry high-risk HPV and benefit from continued screening<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Symptoms to Watch For<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even though HPV is often silent, small changes can occur. If you experience:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bleeding between periods or after sex<\/li>\n<li>Pain during intercourse<\/li>\n<li>Unusual discharge- see your doctor promptly. These can be signs of cervical changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Common Myths vs. Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n<table width=\"586\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"204\"><strong>Myth<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"382\"><strong>Fact<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"204\">\u274c \u201cI\u2019m too young\/not sexually active\u2014no need for testing.\u201d<\/td>\n<td width=\"382\">\u2705 Sex doesn&#8217;t have to be penetrative\u2014skin contact can transmit HPV. Testing guidelines are age-based, not behavior-based .<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"204\">\u274c \u201cI got the HPV vaccine, so I don\u2019t need screening.\u201d<\/td>\n<td width=\"382\">\u2705 The vaccine doesn\u2019t protect against all high-risk types. Screening is still essential.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"204\">\u274c \u201cNo symptoms = no HPV risk.\u201d<\/td>\n<td width=\"382\">\u2705 HPV is typically asymptomatic\u2014routine screening is key for early detection.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Prevention &amp; Follow-Up<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HPV Vaccination<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Recommended for preteens (~11\u201312 years old), with catch-up doses up to age 26; some adults aged 27\u201345 may benefit.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>Gardasil\u20119<\/strong> vaccine protects against key high-risk and wart-causing strains and has greatly reduced cervical precancers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safe Practices<\/strong>:<br \/>\nUse condoms and limit partners\u2014lowers HPV transmission but doesn\u2019t provide full protection.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Regular Screening<\/strong>:<br \/>\nFollow age-appropriate intervals for Pap and HPV tests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Wrap-Up<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udccc <strong>Bottom Line<\/strong>: HPV is extremely common yet usually invisible. Persistent infection with high-risk strains is the main cause of cervical and other cancers\u2014but with vaccination and regular screening, it\u2019s largely preventable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Take Action Today<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At <strong><em>Erama Medical<\/em><\/strong>, join us for the <strong>Know Your Body<\/strong> campaign\u2014access low-cost <strong>HPV + Pap testing-<\/strong> running till October. Stay informed, stay protected!<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udccd Visit us at Sakumono<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcf1 020 250 171 | 054 031 5915<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf10https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/ephecareblog\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of more than 150 related viruses, commonly spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact. Most infections are asymptomatic and clear on their own within two years, but high-risk strains (notably types 16 and 18) can persist and lead to cancers of the cervix, anus, penis, vulva, vagina, and throat. Why is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ephecare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1721,"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720\/revisions\/1721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eramanorgroup.com\/ephecare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}