HPV is a common virus that can be found on the skin and spread through skin contact. It is mainly transmitted through sexual contact and most people are infected with HPV shortly after the onset of sexual activity. Most of the time people with HPV have no symptoms so they do not know they have it. It has been estimated that the virus has infected nearly 40- 80% of sexually active adults.

There are over 200 types of HPV. Over 30 types cause infections in the genital area and spread through sexual contact. These genital types can be classified into 2 groups: high and low risk. The high-risk group refers to types that can cause cervical cancer and about 70% of cervical cancer is commonly caused by genotypes 16 and 18. Meanwhile, the low-risk group refers to types that cause genital warts and about 90% of genital warts are caused by genotypes 6 and 11.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in women and is caused by persistent Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Approximately 70% of cervical cancer is caused by the two most common viruses (HPV 16 & 18). In Hong Kong, there are around 500 new cases and around 150 death cases every year.

Symptoms

Cervical cancer may be asymptomatic, and sometimes will be found during routine screening.

Early stage:

– Unusual or irregular vaginal bleeding

– Bleeding between periods or after sex

Later stage:

– Back pain, swollen feet, difficulty urinating or defecating, etc.

– On clinical examination, the doctor will find that the lymphatic nucleus of the patient’s groin or neck is swollen

– Simultaneous abnormal passage between vagina and rectum

Getting Regular Pap Tests Can Save Woman’s Life.

A Pap test is a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and examined under a microscope. Regular Pap tests decrease a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer because they can detect pre-cancerous cervical lesions at early, treatable stages. A Pap test can also show non-cancerous conditions, such as infection or inflammation.

For enquiries, please contact
Tel: (852) 3162 0092
Email: hpv@neohealth.com.hk