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 HPV Prevention ProgramTaking an active health prevention program can protect yourself, your partner and your family. Our HPV prevention program aims at encouraging individuals and the community to take adequate precaution against the increasing threat of HPV. Highlights of the HPV Prevention Program
Quick Facts on Cervical Dysplasia & HPVCervical dysplasia is a common term used by health care providers to describe any abnormal or precancerous changes found in cervical cells. These cell changes are mostly due to HPV and can develop into cervical cancer. What is HPV (Human Papillomavirus) HPV is a common virus that can be found on skin and spread through skin contact. There are over 200 types of HPV. Over 30 types cause infections in genital area and spread through sexual contact. These genital types can be classified into 2 groups: high and low risk. High risk group refers to types that can cause cervical cancer and about 70% of cervical cancer is commonly caused by genotype 16 and 18. Meanwhile, low risk group refers to types that cause genital warts and about 90% of genital warts are caused by genotype 6 and 11. Quick Facts on HPV
Exposure to HPV & ContractionTransmission of HPV that causes abnormal cell changes is usually through direct skin contact during vaginal, anal, or possibly oral sex with someone infected. Hence, people who are sexually active are at high exposure to HPV. Q. Will I still be infected by HPV even if I do not have any sexual contact? A. Yes. HPV is a common virus that can be found on skin and it can be spread through skin contact. Q. Is HPV a genetic disease? A. No, HPV is not a genetic disease yet it is an infection that can be passed from parents onto child. Vaccination can provide protection to parents so that the chance of passing HPV onto the child can be effectively minimized. Q. How long will HPV infections develop into cervical cancer once detected in human body? A. It usually takes 7-10 years of persistent HPV infections for abnormal cells to develop into cervical cancer.
Screening for Cervical Cancer & TechniquesThere are several methods for screening cervical abnormal cell changes. While the conventional Pap smear is the most common method, new molecular technique, namely HPV DNA Genotyping test is the most advance technique and gaining popularity as it can identify the specific genotype of the virus. Q. What is the difference between a Pap test and a HPV test? A. A Pap smear is a cytological screening technique used to detect cervical cancer or any cell changes that may lead to cervical cancer whereas HPV DNA is a different technique which can detect HPV virus before abnormal cells develop and assess one’s risk of developing cervical cancer. Q. Any check up is required prior to vaccination? A. Check up serves the purpose of screening / early detection of infection and cell changes. Hence it is not a “must” step prior to vaccination. However, initial check up for someone who had been sexually active can provide re-assurance that there is no pre-exiting abnormality or treatment can be implemented at an early stage. Q. What are the effective screening methods for HPV? A. For female, a pap smear test is the most common and affordable way for checking normality of cervical cells whilst the latest HPV DNA screening technique will make it more conclusive on detecting various “risk type” in case if abnormal cervical cell is found.
TreatmentAlthough a lot of clinical advancement on HPV has taken place in the recent decade, unfortunately, there is no treatment for any virus type at this point. Health care providers therefore, take proactive approach to treat abnormal cells. By treating or removing most of the cells with the HPV in them, it may help reducing the risk of transmitting HPV to a partner. There are several treatment options in our Centre for abnormal cells:
What Women Should Know about HPV
Q. Do I still need to have an annual check up after vaccination completed? A. It is recommended to have a regular check up according to the specific time period suggested by the doctor. The current medical guideline is:
HPV & Pregnancy In case if a woman has abnormal Pap smear found during pregnancy, many health care providers will not do treatment as this may cause early labour. Mostly, they will closely monitor the cervical changes until birth is given. Q. Can I have vaccination during pregnancy? A. It is recommended to have the vaccination after given birth to the child. Alternatively, advance planning for vaccination prior to pregnancy is more advisable for better protection of both parents and the infant. Q. When can I have vaccination after my pregnancy? A. Although there is no strict guideline, it is advisable to have vaccination commenced after breast feeding is completed.
What Men Should Know about HPV
Q. I am a male, so do I need vaccination? A. Males are not at risk of cervical cancer but have a chance of getting genital warts and genital diseases. Males who are HPV carriers can transmit the virus to their partners (male/female). The carrier can also pass the virus onto the next generation at birth and through normal skin contact. Q. Can HPV infections be prevented? A. HPV is so common that even those who have only one partner are still exposed to the virus. However, there is one vaccine that can prevent genital warts. Males can consider taking vaccination to reduce the risk of passing the virus onto his partner. Q. How are men screened for HPV? A. HPV screening for men is by visual inspection to check for lesions (e.g. warts) by a health care provider and HPV DNA can be detected via genital skin sampling. However, sample extraction of males requires rather sophisticated technique and special handling method in the entire process of HPV DNA screening. It is recommended to have the test performed in specialist centre to ensure personal safety and accuracy of the test.
Preventive Care to Reduce RisksGlobally, approximately 500,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer every year. Widespread vaccination has the potential to reduce cervical cancer deaths around the world by as much as 2/3. Q. When will protection take effect after I get vaccinated? A. Antibodies will have significant increase from 2 weeks after your 2nd injection but full and prolonged protection will only take place after the 3rd injection. Q. If I am infected by HPV, can I still have the vaccination? A. Yes, vaccination is still recommended for those who are infected as it will help protecting against other genotypes infection as well as future disease development. Q. How long will the protection last after having vaccination? A. Research studies show that protection will last for at least 10 years and reduce risk of cervical cancer by 70% and genital warts by 90%. Q. Will any booster or another course of vaccination required when one’s immunity against HPV subsides? A. Both research studies and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) have not yet indicated that a booster is required.
Myths & Mis-conceptsQ. When HPV infection is found, does it mean one has cheated? A. Not necessarily. HPV can remain in the human body for a long time or even a lifetime, showing no sign of its presence. The latency period of the virus therefore makes it hard to back track to a specific partner. Hence, an HPV diagnosis only means the person contracted an HPV infection at a point during his or her life. Q. Does an abnormal Pap smear mean a woman is at high risk of cervical cancer? A. An abnormal Pap smear can be due to various factors such as local irritation, infection of a low-risk HPV type, or even a mistake in the preparation of the cell sample. Therefore, an abnormal pap smear cannot be concluded to cancer immediately. Q. If I have genital warts, does it mean it will recur for the rest of my life? A. Most people’s immune system will increase against the infected virus, making recurrences less often and may eradicate them entirely in couple of years. However, the virus may remain in the person’s cells in a latent state without producing any symptoms. Q. Older women do not need to do Pap smears? A. No. In fact, older women have a high chance of developing cervical cancer due to higher frequency and longer duration of sexual contact. Thus, it is recommended for older women to have regular pap smears. Q. Will genital warts be no longer contagious after receiving treatment? A. Removing warts cannot guarantee that the risk of transmission is entirely removed as the area surrounding visible warts may also contain HPV. Q. If a woman has an abnormal Pap smear, should her male partner also do an HPV test? A. Yes. If a woman has found to be infected by HPV, there is a good chance of transmitting the infection to her partner through skin contact. Therefore, an HPV test for her male partner is highly recommended. Q. Can latex condoms provide protection against contracting HPV? A. No, as HPV is transmitted through skin contact, condoms do not cover up the whole genital area for both males and females during sexual activity and therefore, leaving the uncovered area vulnerable to HPV infection.
Other Common Q & AQ. If I am over 46 years old and would like to take the vaccination now, will the vaccination still be effective? A. Since HPV vaccination protects against future infections, it is better to be given at a younger age. However, it is still effective even if given after 46 years old. The recommended age group for vaccination is based on the age group used by research studies submitted for authority registration approval. Anyone seeks for vaccination should consult the doctor. Q. Will there be any age limit for a Pap smear ? A. A Pap smear check up is not necessarily age related but more depend on whether the first sexual contact has taken place and the check up time should be advised by doctor. Various countries may have different guidelines on the frequency of performing Pap smear. However, the following may serve as a reference:
For more details on our HPV Prevention Program:
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