Men Should Be Worried About HPV Too.
Dad swabs are routinely done by women, and girls are more likely to get the latest human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines – but new research confirms the virus puts men at risk as well. Men are six times more likely than women to contract high-risk human papillomavirus in the mouth or throat, where it can cause oropharyngeal cancer.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, but in most cases it does not cause any overt symptoms. Our immune system does a pretty good job of fighting the virus. If you are a sexually active adult, you have likely contracted at least one HPV strain in your life.
However, if left untreated, the virus can cause cancer. It is best known for causing cancer of the cervix, but it is also responsible for cancers of the penis, anal canal, vulva, and vagina. And because the virus can live in the mouth and throat, it can also cause cancer there.
How to protect yourself
There is no cure to get rid of the virus, and the only standard tests for it are cervical cancer screenings, which are the mainstay of gynecological visits. A Pap smear looks for abnormal cells that begin to behave like cancer cells; An HPV test, performed instead of or in addition, checks for the presence of the virus itself.
Thus, the best way to protect yourself from the virus – regardless of your gender – is in two parts. You can limit its spread by using barrier methods such as condoms or dental pads; and if you are the right age to get the HPV vaccine, you should get one. The vaccine only protects against a few of the highest-risk HPV types (up to nine of them in the case of the newest version of Gardasil), and people who have been vaccinated were less likely to contract these types.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the HPV vaccine for young children, and it is usually given at the age of 11 or 12. But it is approved for women under 26 and for men under 21 or 26, depending on your risk factors. So if you are this age and have not received both doses of the shot, you can call your doctor now and do yourself a favor in the future.