If you’re wondering “How is HPV transmitted?” you’ll be relieved to know that direct, physical contact with an infected person is the only way to catch the virus. To take this point a step further, the infection can generally only be transmitted by touching a place on the skin where the virus is present. In this article, we’ll examine exactly how the virus is passed from one person to another, as well as ways to protect against becoming infected.
How is HPV Transmitted to Another Person?
The Human Papillomavirus is transmitted from its host to another person through some form of skin-on-skin contact (almost always sexual in nature). The most likely vehicles for these are oral, anal and vaginal sex, although there is some evidence to suggest that the virus can be transmitted through manual contact with any of these body parts as well.
As mentioned, casual contact with an infected person is not sufficient to transmit the disease. You cannot catch HPV by shaking someone’s hand, touching them on the arm, etc. There must usually be direct contact with some part of the body where the virus is present and, given that HPV is a sexually-transmitted disease, this often means the genitals.
While genital warts are the easiest symptoms of HPV in women and men to identify, they are not always visible in infected individuals. Unfortunately, even when no warts are present, the virus embedded in the surrounding skin is still more than capable of entering a new host.
How is HPV Transmitted When No Symptoms Are Present?
Because HPV spends most of its time lying dormant in the skin cells and enters the body through microscopic abrasions, it remains highly contagious even when invisible to the naked eye. Worst yet, the strains of the virus that are responsible for cervical cancer (HPV 16 and 18) never cause the formation of warts and are, in effect, always invisible.
Despite the temptation to assume that you’ll be able to spot an infected person, it is important to remember that HPV is an invisible microbe. As a matter of fact, you will never be able to tell if a person carrying the truly dangerous types of HPV is infected.
Protecting Against HPV Transmission
Condoms are certainly effective at reducing the risk of HPV transmission but, unfortunately, cannot completely stop the spread of the virus. The best strategy for protecting against the disease is to use a condom, but also get tested and find out whether or not you are infected. If your results come back negative, the HPV vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix can be administered by your health care provider to keep you from contracting the virus. By following this approach, you can eliminate the majority of answers to the question “How is HPV transmitted?”