Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a very common group of viruses. There are more than 100 types of HPV, and most are harmless. They do not cause any problems in most people, but some types can cause genital warts or abnormal cells that may turn into cancer.
HPV has no symptoms, so you may not know if you have it.
HPV types linked to cancer are called high-risk types. Cancers linked to high-risk HPV include:
- Cervical cancer
- Anal cancer
- Penile cancer
- Vulval cancer
- Vaginal cancer
- Some types of head and neck cancer
HPV is very common. Most people will get some type of HPV in their life, and it can be present for many years without it causing problems.
You can get HPV from:
- any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area;
- vaginal, anal or oral sex;
- sharing sex toys.
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Cervical Screening
Cervical screening is offered to women aged between 25 and 64 to help prevent cervical cancer. Cervical screening checks a sample of cells from your cervix for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV). These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes to the cells in your cervix and are referred to as ‘high risk HPV’. If high risk HPV is detected during screening, the sample of cells will also be checked for abnormal cell changes under a microscope. If abnormal cells are found, they can be treated so they do not get a chance to turn into cervical cancer.
More information is available here: Cervical screening | Sexual Health NI (hscni.net)
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Vaccination
The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that cause most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer, as well as some other cancers. It does not protect against all types of HPV. It is important for women to continue to take up their screening invitations as not all cervical cancers can be prevented by vaccination.
More information on who is eligible for HPV vaccination is available here: Vaccination | Sexual Health NI (hscni.net)