Human Papillomavirus

The Human Papillomavirus is a DNA virus from the Papillomaviridae family. They are commonly called HPV virus. It is the most common sexually transmitted virus.

Infections caused by HPV virus

The HPV causes warts or lesions. In simple terms the virus causes unwanted growth (like cancer). The virus causes infection in throat, penis, cervix, anus, mouth, vagina and vulva. Almost all the cervical cancer are due to HPV16 or HPV18.

About Papillomavirus

• So far (as of November 2021), 170 types of Human Papillomavirus have been identified. They are divided into high-risk and low-risk types. The low-risk type HPV causes warts. The high-risk type causes cancer or lesions.
• It was the first virus to show resistance to Glutaraldehyde. Glutaraldehyde is a strong disinfectant used in hospitals.
• The HPV virus is capable of spreading from mother to baby during pregnancy.
• They spread through sexual contact and skin to skin contact.
• In most of the cases, the immune system of the human body clears out the virus within two years. This means that it doesn’t harm the individual. However, in certain cases it takes years to reveal the symptoms.

HPV virus in India

The HPV infection is the second highest cause of cervical cancer deaths in India. Around seven types of HPV virus cause 98.3% cervical cancer, 77% of vaginal cancer, 95% of vulvar cancer and 70% of anal cancer. Around 1.7 lakh HPV cases occur in India annually.

HPV Vaccine in India

The HPV vaccine is inoculated between the age of 9 years and 13 years. There are two HPV vaccines available in India. They are Gardasil and Cervarix. These vaccines protect against 90% of the genital worms in both women and men. The vaccine is given thrice in six months to girls and boys. The vaccine is given to them before they mature sexually.

Gender neutral HPV vaccine in India

The HPV vaccine Gardasil-9 is a gender-neutral vaccine. It was launched in India in September 2021. It is the only USFDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) approved HPV vaccine. It was first launched in the US in 2015. It protects against 19 types of HPV virus.

HPV Vaccine issues in India

• The cost of HPV vaccine in around 12,000 rupees per person. There are more than 6 crores of girls in India in the age of 9 to 13 years. Inoculating the girls alone will cost 56,000 crores of rupees. Therefore, it is expensive.
• It has been proved that the HPV vaccines cause side effects such as neurological problems and regional pain syndrome.