Infection with HPV, or the human papillomavirus, leads to cancer of the cervix, throat, anus, and penis. It is associated with women’s health, but experts remind that the virus can also affect men. Vaccines, which were created to prevent cervical cancer, de facto create immunity against and protect against papilloma viruses. They have an effect not only on the fair sex, but also on men. According to experts, it should be applied at the beginning of sexual activity in both sexes from 9-15 years of age. Immunizing children against HPV infection helps prevent cancer and genital warts caused by the virus, experts say. Homosexual and bisexual men are 17 times more likely to develop anal cancer from HPV than heterosexual men, according to statistics from the US Centers for Cancer Control and Prevention. At this time, there is no specific test for HPV in men. Routine HPV screening is done through a pap smear (PAP test) for women. A study found that 50% of men over the age of 15 carry HPV. Moreover, it is estimated that every year about 6% of men become infected with HPV 16, one of the two most insidious strains of cervical cancer. Human papilloma viruses are one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted diseases. More than 100 strains of HPV have been isolated so far, and although not all of them are related to sexually transmitted infections, the role of the virus in this aspect is dominant in medical practice.
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