This article appeared in the Ionia Sentinel Standard. Read the full story here.
IONIA — The Ionia County Health Department is encouraging people to get an HPV vaccination.
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., according to a press release from the ICHD.
There are 79 million Americans infected with HPV, with most in their late teens and early 20s, per the health department. It can cause diseases such as genital warts and cancer.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends the HPV vaccine for boys and men through the age of 21 and for girls and women through the age of 26.
HPV vaccines can protect against cancer when given in the recommended age groups. The CDC recommends 11 to 12-year-olds get two doses of the HPV vaccine and older adolescents and young adults receive three doses.
There’s no laboratory test to determine a person’s HPV susceptibility or status.
Most people with HPV don’t know they’re infected and never develop symptoms or health problems.
Women over 30 typically find out they have HPV when they get an abnormal Pap test result. Others may find out when they have cancers of the mouth, throat, rectum or reproductive organs.
There’s no treatment for HPV once it’s been contracted, but prevention is always better than treatment, the health department states. Those seeking more information can visit cancer.org or cdc.gov/hpv, or contact the ICHD at 616-527-5341.