Is It True That Almost Or Over 50% Of People Today Have HPV?

Yes – but getting the actual number of people who have it is a bit difficult. The reason for this is that unlike STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia, cases of HPV do not need to be reported.

So while I can’t give you the actual rates, what I can tell you is that HPV is really common. As a matter of fact, if you go to the CDC website you’ll see this:

You may be asking yourself “if it’s so common do I need to be concerned about it?” The answer is maybe.

While super common (the most common STI in the US), the concern around HPV is the strain you get infected with. There are over 100 strains. Of these only about 40 impact the genital area.

Of these there are only a few that considered high-risk. These are the ones that can cause cancer.

The ones that cause genital warts are not considered high risk since they don’t cause cancer.

The good news is that there are vaccines that can help protect you from getting infected. Which strains the vaccine protects you against depends on the vaccine you get. Some protect against 2 strains, while others protect against either 4 or 9.

There was a time when the vaccine was only recommended for girls, but now we recommend it for everyone, regardless of sex assigned at birth.

The recommended age for vaccination is 11 – 26. If you’re 27 - 45 you can talk to your doctor about being vaccinated.

How many shots do you need? Depends on your age. If you start before you’re 15 then you need two shots done 6 – 12 months apart. If you’re over 15 when you start, then you need three doses, One now, another 1- 2 months later, and then the last 6 months after the first.

Even if you’re vaccinated you may want to consider using a condom to help protect you from getting  HPV since the vaccines don’t protect  you from all strains.

The thing to keep in mind is that condoms may be helpful in protecting against HPV transmission – but they’re not perfect. This is because you may get exposed by coming into contact with HPV in areas that aren’t covered by the condom.

Until next time, be safe and have fun!

Have a question you want answered? Submit it here: https://milsteinhealthconsulting.com/heydrsue