On earth, about 80% of the population is infected with the human papilloma virus. Since, due to HPV infection, not only harmless papillomas can appear on the body, but also genital warts, as well as discharges that can malignantly degenerate, it is very important to know how HPV is transmitted. Perhaps this knowledge will help someone to avoid infection and protect themselves from such dangerous diseases as cancer of the 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 the human papilloma virus transmitted?
First, it must be said that the papilloma is transmitted through the epidermis and saliva. At the same time, for some time the infection may not be felt and appear forming genital warts and papillomas with only a decrease in immunity.
If we talk about how the papilloma virus is transmitted, then the chances of infection increase significantly if there are injuries, scratches and scratches on the skin.
Attention!Many people wonder if papilloma is inherited. The answer is no. Only when one of the family members is infected, the papilloma virus is transmitted in daily life or from mother to baby at birth.
The following ways of transmitting viral infection from person to person are known:
- It is transmitted through daily life, that is, through touch, ordinary household items, clothing. The infection can be transmitted through kissing.
- If a person has genital papillomas, the transmission may have occurred sexually, that is, during unprotected sex.
- Self-infection is possible during shaving, epilation and other skin damage. Because the papilloma is contagious to healthy surrounding skin cells, a person can transfer the virus from diseased parts of the body to healthy ones.
- The vertical route of infection is the transmission of the infection from mother to child during birth.
- Much more rarely, infection occurs during blood transfusions, during surgical removal of HPV-induced neoplasms. Also, infection is not excluded 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 papillomas, then in 70% of cases of sexually transmitted infections, the culprit is a man. In the presence of an epithelial neoplasm in the lip or genitals, the probability 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, as HPV can penetrate through microtrauma to the skin of the hands and other parts of the body. Furthermore, warts can be located in the groin or pubic region, where the 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 infecting the other partner is significantly reduced.
If you list all the ways you can become infected with the papilloma virus in a newborn, then prenatal infection is unlikely, as the virus does not enter the bloodstream and the fetus is reliably protected fromamniotic fluid, bladder and placenta. However, in medical practice, rare cases of intrauterine infection have been reported with damage to the placenta and fetal bladder.
For women planning a pregnancy, it is very important to know if the baby's father is contagious and if he can transmit the infection to the expectant mother, as genital warts that appear during pregnancy are very dangerous for the baby. In case of infection of the baby during birth, there is a threat of laryngeal papillomatosis and subsequent suffocation. Since the infection is transmitted through saliva, it is important to consider the presence of papillomas, genital warts and warts in the man's mouth and in the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, because a woman can be infected by oral sex.
If a family member has a papilloma, as it is transmitted in everyday life, it is important that all family members know:
- through shared bedding, towels, soap, cosmetics, washcloths and other personal items, the virus can penetrate microtraumas into the skin;
- saliva infection is possible when using a toothbrush, cups or other utensils;
- infection through clothing and other household items is also possible.
Risk Factors
We understand how you can become infected with the human papillomavirus, but it is equally important to know not only the routes of transmission but also the risk factors for human papillomavirus infection.
So the human papilloma virus penetrates much more easily into the skin and mucous membranes against the background of the following provocative factors:
- In men, children and women, the infection is most likely against the background of reduced immunity. A common cold or sore throat can contribute to this.
- The risk of contracting HPV increases when the intestinal or vaginal microflora is disturbed. In the first case, the general immunity suffers, in the second case, the body's local defense decreases and the likelihood of sexual contraction increases.
- The genital tract infection most often becomes 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, when the body is weakened by the disease.
- There is no doubt if papillomas are contagious. The virus can easily penetrate from the host into the cells of a healthy person if its protection is weakened by stress, loss of energy, overload or depression.
Important!Every virus is 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:
- early onset of sexual activity;
- prostitution;
- frequent change of sexual partners;
- broken sex life;
- history of sexually transmitted diseases;
- age is over 35 years;
- pathology of the cervix;
- immunodeficiency states.
Prevention
We understand how human papillomavirus is transmitted (women, men and children), now it remains to consider preventive measures. It should be said immediately that the most effective way to avoid getting 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 types of HPV.
As for other methods of prevention, no one has canceled the rules of hygiene, the use of a condom, a chosen sex life and the rejection of bad habits. Useful useful to maintain the strength of the immune system: eat well, temper, exercise, walk in the fresh air, periodically drink vitamins.