I just had a thought - the HPV pushers have been pointing to the INCREDIBLE incidence of HPV in the female population. According to the pro-vaccine people, about 50% of the sexually active population has been exposed.
Naturally, most people reading those stats start sweating. Even if only 1% of the infected population gets cervical cancer, that's a heck of a lot of women who would die.
Right?
Wrong!
I just checked with Wikipedia (yeah, I DO take their information with a grain of salt, but, on basic topics, they're not bad).
ALL WARTS - THE KIND YOU USED TO GET ON YOUR HANDS, PLANTAR WARTS (OCCUR ON THE FOOT - I'VE GOT ONE NOW), AND ALL OTHER TYPES - THE ONES THAT OCCUR ON OLD PEOPLE - ARE CAUSED BY THE SAME HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS!!!!
So, basically, you can ignore MOST, if not virtually ALL, of the hype about the dreaded incidence of HPV, and how the virus will lead to a decimation of the female population, due to cervical cancer.
Without breaking apart the stats into specifically genital-area infection, all the stats are USELESS!
Does anyone have a better breakdown of the numbers?
2 comments:
The types of HPV that cause warts on hands and other "dry" body parts are different than the type that is related to cervical cancer. The HPV virus that is spread through sexual contacts is common and most people won't know they are infected. A few do get genital warts at times. Usually the infection clears up on it's own. These infections are all located in "moist" body parts...in women. In men, the infections are not spread via semen but rather through skin- to- body cavity contact (IOW- vaginal). Men and Women ALSO get HPV in their mouths and throats...
The CDC says that the sexually transmitted varieties of HPV are in apprx. 80% of the US population. Of teenage girls, more than 3/4 have been infected by the time they enter college.
Still, there are no real stats regarding how many women will develop HPV related cervical cancer...there are no long term studies to go by. It is under 4000 a year in the US...and of these we have no idea what is the actual cause of the disease...it could be smoking; it could be hereditary and it could be HPV. ALL of these cases need not have ended in death- the women simply did not get pap smears.
Yes, you are correct. Most strains of HPV are completely harmless and many more are relatively harmless.
For a full discussion about the facts about GARDASIL click on my name.
Post a Comment