Gynecology and Obstetrics Specialist Op. Dr. Ezgi Aydın stated that not only women but also men should be vaccinated against cervical cancer, which causes the death of thousands of women every year, and the HPV virus that causes this cancer. Stating that cervical cancer ranks 2nd in the list of cancers seen among women in developed countries, Op. Dr. Aydın emphasized the importance of vaccination against this virus, which cannot be recognized because it does not show symptoms.
“There is a vaccine, we do not have enough awareness”
Gynecology and Obstetrics Specialist Op. Ezgi Aydın, who emphasized the importance of taking early precautions against this virus, which is very common and can cause warts and cancer on the skin and mucous membranes (mouth, penis tip, vagina, anus and uterus) after transmission, said: “80 percent of women are exposed to at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives, but it usually goes unnoticed because it does not show symptoms. While such a common virus can cause such serious diseases, our society does not have enough awareness about this virus and protection from the virus. It does not have enough idea about the vaccine. While cervical cancer is almost a cancer that can be prevented by vaccination, there is still very serious information pollution.” He stated that he recommends that not only women but also men be vaccinated against this disease, which is usually sexually transmitted.
Noting that HPV infection is most common in the 20s and between the ages of 40-55, Op. Dr. Aydın said, “HPV enters through cracks in the skin and infects the cells in the skin and causes differentiation. When these viruses are examined, their relationship with cancers and warts is well defined.
Cervical cancer causes the death of more than 274,000 women in the world every year and ranks 2nd in the list of cancers seen among women in developed countries. When patients with cervical cancer were analyzed, the HPV virus was detected in 96.6 percent of patients. There are many risk factors for HPV infection. The most important risk factors are starting sexual intercourse at an early age, having a large number of sexual partners and the male partner also having a large number of sexual partners.”
“How HPV is transmitted”
Stating that the most important transmission route of HPV is sexual contact, Gynecology and Obstetrics Specialist Op. Dr. Ezgi Aydın said, “Genital sexual intercourse during sexual contact is not necessary for transmission. It is known that HPV can also be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact with contaminated surfaces (toilet bowl, pool, solarium, etc.) and shared items. In patients with genital HPV, the presence of HPV has also been detected on their hands and fingernails, and they can spread the disease to their children or partners through contact,” he said, noting that although HPV vaccines are not included in the national vaccination calendar in our country, they recommend HPV vaccination for girls and boys from the age of 9 to prevent HPV infection, which causes cervical cancer, which can be fatal.
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