What is HPV?
HPV stands for Human Papilloma Virus. This is a very common virus. It is estimated that eight out of 10 people in Scotland will catch it at some time in their lives.
HPV is mainly spread by direct skin-to-skin contact. You can be exposed to HPV by being sexually intimate with another person who has the virus.
There are over 100 different types of HPV. Each one is identified by a number. Most types are harmless and only a few – around 15 out of 100 – are associated with cancer and are called “high risk” types.
Types 16 and 18 carry the most risk. They cause 70% of cases of cervical cancer. They do this by damaging cells in the cervix, the entrance to the womb.
Find out more about how HPV causes cancer.
Other types of HPV can lead to genital warts, or warts on other parts of the body, which can clear up with medical treatment.
Many people have HPV without knowing it because there are usually no symptoms.
In most cases HPV infections clear up on their own, but not always. This is why immunisation and cervical screening are so important. The vaccine protects against two high risk types of the virus HPV 16 and HPV 18, and screening detects any changes in the cervix caused by HPV.
Safer sex
HPV is passed on by intimate skin-to-skin contact, so anyone who is sexually active should practise safer sex to protect against exposure to the virus. Using a condom can reduce the risk of HPV spreading and protect against other sexual transmitted infections.
These websites offer young people more information about sexual health and relationships.
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