WHAT is HPV?
HPV stands for Human Papillomavirus, which belongs to a group of widely common viruses that usually cause infections of the reproductive tract.1
It is also common that most adults will get infected by HPV at some point of their lives, with some getting infected more than once. Most HPV cases will clear up on their own within a few months, and about 90 % will resolve within 2 years.1
Adults of reproductive age are at the highest risk of getting HPV infections.¹ While many types of HPV are harmless, there are many high risk types that can cause certain cancers including cervical, vulvar, vaginal or anal.3
HPV BY THE NUMBERS
Did you know?
It is estimated that around
8 out of 10 people will get the HPV
infection at some point in their lives.⁴,⁵
~1 in 22 cancers worldwide
were caused by HPV.⁶
HPV-RELATED CANCERS
HPV is leading cause of several types of cancers6-8
90 % of high-grade
cervical precancers⁹
75 % of low-grade
cervical lesions⁹
28 % of vulvar
cancer10
Estimates based on incidence data and US Census World population figures.
Not all cervical precancers and lesions, and vulvar, vaginal, and anal cancer cases are caused by HPV
How an HPV infection can lead to cancers?
Cancer often takes years, even decades, to develop after a person gets HPV. Genital warts and cancers result from different types of HPV.³
When the body’s immune system can’t get rid of an HPV infection, it can linger over time and turn normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer if they’re not detected and treated in a timely manner.¹¹
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
HPV has no signs or symptoms.³
Most people with HPV do not know they are infected and never develop symptoms and health problems from it.
Some people find out they have HPV when they develop warts.
Women may find out they have HPV when they get an abnormal Pap test result (during cervical cancer screening).
Others may only find out once they’ve developed more serious problems from HPV, such as cancers.
HOW IT SPREADS ³,¹²,¹³
HPV can be passed on to others
even when an infected person has
no signs and symptoms.
Even married couples can get HPV as
one or both spouses may have already
had it while being asymptomatic.