The Collegian

Issue date: 3/13/07 Section: Feature

Media Credit: Courtesy of www.thetech.com An image of the HP virus, for which there is currently no cure

With the high rate of sexual activity on college campuses, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are rampant and young people across the United States are at risk every time they hop into bed with someone else. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STD and since there is presently no cure for HPV it is important for college students to be aware of all the information regarding it.

HPV is an infection passed on through genital contact which can mean vaginal, anal sex, or skin to skin contact of the genital regions. There are over 100 different types of HPV (40 are sexually transmitted) which are divided into two categories: "high-risk" and "low-risk." "Low-risk" types do not cause cervical cancer and may cause genital warts or minor cell changes on the cervix and "High-risk" types may cause changes in the cervix which can develop into cervical cancer. Chances that HPV will develop into cervical cancer are 4-10 percent depending of what type of HPV it is.

Just because women suffer the worst consequences from this virus, doesn't mean men don't need to know their role in HPV awareness. Both men and women can contract and pass on HPV however there is currently no screening test for HPV in men. This means that if a man says that he has been tested and is clean, he has not been tested for HPV and does not know if he has the virus or not.

This is a troubling fact for many women. As Kelly DeBarr '08 said, "It seems almost ridiculous to get with a guy, marry him, and not ever have sex. You can't be overly cautious, but it's good to be aware."

It is not commonly known that men unknowingly transmit HPV to their sexual partners. The only way of diagnosing HPV in men is a visual diagnosis of genital warts and fortunately symptoms in men are very rare, in fact according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only one percent of sexually active men in the U.S. have genital warts at any one time.

There are a few treatments for genital warts which include medication, surgery, or freezing the warts off. Some people choose to receive no treatment in the hope that the warts will go away by themselves, but this is not the case. Even with treatment, warts may return within the first three months following treatment.

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