Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in women worldwide, after breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. According to data from IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), in 2018 in Europe, 33,000 women were diagnosed with this disease and about 15,000 died. In Bulgaria, more than 1,100 new cases have been diagnosed with cervical cancer in recent years, and more than 350 have died. It is one of the five most common malignant diseases in women in our country, with a share of 6.5% of all neoplasias. The importance of the problem is also confirmed by the fact that cervical cancer was included in the political declaration of the high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (2011) on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. The etiology of cervical precancer and cancer is mainly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In 1983, Prof. Harald zur Hausen discovered HPV in precancerous lesions and in 1985 described active transcription of the virus in cancer cells, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008. This set the stage for numerous studies that confirm the place of HPV in the etiology of neoplasms affecting the genitals and anal area. There are more than 150 types of HPV. About 30 types of these are spread by genital contact. HPVs belong to the Papillomaviridae family, contain double-stranded DNA, are highly tissue-specific and infect both skin and mucous membranes. HPV types are classified as high-risk and low-risk according to their potential to induce cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has currently identified the following 12 high-risk types that are associated with human carcinoma – 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59). There are about 12 types of HPV that are referred to as “low risk” because they have not been found to cause cervical cancer. However, they can cause the formation of genital warts or very minor changes in the cells of the cervix. These low-risk HPV types are known as numbers 6, 11, 40, 42, 43, 44, 53, 54, 61, 72, 73, and 81. Types 6 and 11 are associated with about 90% of genital warts. – are the most common. It is estimated that about 60% of the female population encounters the papillomavirus at least once in their lives, and in most of them it is transient. Papillomaviruses are spread through contact with infected skin in the genital area, mucous membranes and body fluids during sexual contact, including oral sex. Most (70-90%) of HPV infections are asymptomatic and disappear spontaneously in 1-2 years (in young, healthy organisms), and to support the process of self-cleansing, preparations that stimulate the immune system can be taken.Within months or years, persistent infection can progress to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cancer. CIN (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) is a precancerous condition, a process of changing the cells of the cervix, which is limited only to the surface of the organ, i.e. to the epithelium. A big problem is that the condition is asymptomatic and the woman has no way of finding out about it unless she does preventive tests (cytosmear, colposcopy, biopsy if necessary). This precancerous condition of the cervix can last for years. Men are also infected with HPV, and are most often asymptomatic carriers or may notice wart-like formations in the genital area. HPV is not a sign that you or your partner were not monogamous. HPV can be in a latent (“dormant”) form for many years before it is detected by a test. Your partner may have contracted the HPV virus a long time ago and there is no way of knowing when this happened or who infected him. For the prevention and elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends: Vaccination of at least 90% of girls before the age of 15; Avoiding casual and unprotected sexual contacts, as well as the frequent change of partners; Screening (prophylactic gynecological examinations and tests) at least once, when assessing women of reproductive age twice a year; Timely treatment of precancers detected during screening. The WHO (World Health Organization) cervical screening guidelines, adopted at the World Cancer Congress, Melbourne (2014), recommend HPV vaccination of girls aged 9-14 years with at least two doses, before commencing sexual intercourse . High immunogenicity was reported in vaccinated girls, with antibody titers remaining high for at least 10 years. Achieving vaccination coverage >80% in the target group of girls leads to a reduction in the risk of HPV infection in boys as well.Your partner may have contracted the HPV virus a long time ago and there is no way of knowing when this happened or who infected him. For the prevention and elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends: Vaccination of at least 90% of girls before the age of 15; Avoiding casual and unprotected sexual contacts, as well as the frequent change of partners; Screening (prophylactic gynecological examinations and tests) at least once, when assessing women of reproductive age twice a year; Timely treatment of precancers detected during screening. The WHO (World Health Organization) cervical screening guidelines, adopted at the World Cancer Congress, Melbourne (2014), recommend HPV vaccination of girls aged 9-14 years with at least two doses, before commencing sexual intercourse . High immunogenicity was reported in vaccinated girls, with antibody titers remaining high for at least 10 years. Achieving vaccination coverage >80% in the target group of girls leads to a reduction in the risk of HPV infection in boys as well.Your partner may have contracted the HPV virus a long time ago and there is no way of knowing when this happened or who infected him. For the prevention and elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends: Vaccination of at least 90% of girls before the age of 15; Avoiding casual and unprotected sexual contacts, as well as the frequent change of partners; Screening (prophylactic gynecological examinations and tests) at least once, when assessing women of reproductive age twice a year; Timely treatment of pre-cancers detected during screening. The WHO (World Health Organization) cervical screening guidelines, adopted at the World Cancer Congress, Melbourne (2014), recommend HPV vaccination of girls aged 9-14 years with at least two doses, before commencing sexual intercourse . High immunogenicity was reported in vaccinated girls, with antibody titers remaining high for at least 10 years. Achieving vaccination coverage >80% in the target group of girls leads to a reduction in the risk of HPV infection in boys as well.