|
Page 2 of 2 How Are Genital Warts Treated? Unfortunately, no treatment can kill the virus that causes the warts. Your doctor can remove the warts with laser therapy or by freezing or applying chemicals. Some prescription treatments are available for at home use. Surgery may be necessary for warts that are large or difficult to treat. Still, recurrence remains a problem. You may need to return to your doctor for more treatment. What Happens If I Don't Get Genital Warts Treated? Unfortunately, despite treatment, having HPV can increase your risk of cervical cancer or cancer of the penis. But not all forms of the virus are associated with these cancers. If you have genital warts, it is important to get annual check-ups to screen for cervical or penile cancer. How Can I Prevent Getting Infected With Genital Warts? Your best bet at preventing infection is to abstain from sex or limit sexual contact to one uninfected person. If that is not an option, condoms may provide some protection, but condoms are not 100% effective since they do not cover the entire penis or surrounding areas. The first vaccine against HPV, Gardasil, won FDA approval June 8, 2006. The vaccine protects against infection from four strains of the virus. Two of these strains, HPV-16 and HPV-18, account for about 70% of cervical cancers. The other two strains covered by the vaccine, HPV- 6 and HPV-11, account for about 90% of genital warts. The vaccine is approved for 9- to 26-year-old girls and women.Other vaccines against HPV are currently being studied and are showing great promise in reducing infections. For More Information Contact the CDC National STD Hotline: 1 (800) CDC-INFO (232-4636) Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Infectious Disease Department.
VitaDocs Medical Reference
SOURCES: National institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease. American Gastroenterological Association. American Academy of Family Physicians. The Mayo Clinic.
Trackback(0)
|
Tags
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed