For people under the age of 25, there is a vaccine that protects against HPV – human papillomavirus. However, HPV infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. The following data are intended primarily for sexually active people planning a trip or stay in the States.
25% of men and 20% of women in America are carriers of the HPV virus, according to the CDC — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some strains of the papillomavirus lead to the development of genital warts and have a low risk of developing cancer. Other strains of the virus are at high risk and often cause cancer of the cervix and vagina in women, the penis in men, as well as the anus and throat in both sexes.
For the period 2013-2014, it was found that 45% of all men aged 15 to 60 years are carriers of one of the HPV strains and 25% have at least one of the high-risk strains leading to the development of cancer after infection. For women of the same age, the data showed that 40% of them were infected with common strains and 20% with cancer-causing strains.
109 different types of human papillomavirus are known. Some experts believe that about 70% of head, throat, and neck cancers are associated with primary infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus.
The World Health Organization has issued an official recommendation on the use of HPV vaccines. They are most effective when administered at 11-12 or 12-13 years of age. It is necessary to vaccinate both girls and boys since they are the main carrier of the sexual pathway of transmission of an infectious disease.
The USA is one of the few countries in the world that conducts such statistical observations and publishes them. It is quite possible that in other countries the percentage of infected carriers of the virus is much higher.
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