Vaccination to prevent genital warts recurrence

Doctor, does oral sex have a risk of causing genital warts to recur? Should I get the HPV vaccine to prevent genital warts from recurring? (Tuan, Ho Chi Minh City)

Reply:

90% of genital warts cases are caused by two strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11. People with genital warts often suffer from pain, low self-esteem, and reduced quality of life. The disease is characterized by bright pink or brown, soft, pedunculated papules that grow consecutively close together to form a wart-like mass resembling a cockscomb or toad skin.

Genital warts are transmitted mainly through sexual contact, including oral sex. In addition, HPV can be transmitted through contact with genital secretions such as sharing underwear, skin contact and mucous membranes with scratches, lesions (ulcers, bleeding).

According to annual reports worldwide , about 0.13-0.2% of the population (equivalent to 8-13 million people) have genital warts. Women under 24 years old and men 25-29 years old are the two groups with the most cases. In Vietnam, genital warts is a very common disease with about 50,000 cases each year.

Genital warts (no longer showing symptoms) can be completely treated but the virus cannot be completely eliminated. In particular, small lesions located deep inside the mucosa have the risk of developing into warts causing reinfection. This means that the patient can still have a relapse after the treatment process ends. Therefore, preventing reinfection of genital warts is very necessary to protect the health of yourself and your partner.

In addition to causing genital warts, HPV types such as 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58 also cause many dangerous cancers in both sexes such as cervical cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, anal cancer, penile cancer, vulvar cancer...

Men get vaccinated against HPV at VNVC to prevent diseases caused by HPV virus. Photo: Moc Thao

Vaccination is a simple, effective and economical measure to prevent genital warts as well as cancers caused by HPV. There are currently two types of HPV vaccines: Gardasil (prevents 4 strains of HPV) and Gardasil 9 (prevents 9 strains of HPV). In particular, Gardasil 9 vaccine is indicated for both men and women between the ages of 9 and 26, regardless of sexual activity, with a protective efficacy of up to 94%.

In addition, each person needs to take the following measures to prevent genital warts and dangerous cancers caused by HPV such as: being monogamous, having safe sex, having regular health check-ups, not sharing personal items with people who are sick, getting checked immediately when there are suspicious symptoms, and getting examined and treated as prescribed by the doctor.

Dr. Le Thi Truc Phuong,
VNVC Vaccination Center System

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/tiem-vaccine-phong-benh-sui-mao-ga-tai-phat-4609593.html