Papillomavirus infection is transmitted sexually, between men and women and between partners of the same sex, even in the absence of penetration. In fact, the transmission occurs by skin-skin or skin-mucous membrane contact, which explains the limited effectiveness of a condom in preventing HPV infection. Vaccination is therefore the only method to prevent HPV infection, which, when persistent, plays a decisive role in the development of cervical cancer. Vaccination intervenes before contagion occurs.
Another prevention method, although limited to cervical cancer, is screening (Pap Test or HPV test), which allows for the diagnosis of lesions at the initial stage, before they can become cancerous. For other HPV cancers, including those affecting men (anus, penis, oropharyngeal), no organized screening programs exist, and so they are often diagnosed at an advanced stage and may require mutilating interventions.
Leading a healthy lifestyle from a sexual point of view as well can help you protect yourself. Making your sexual debut too early as well as having multipartner relationships represent risk factors, as does smoking, which lowers immune defenses. Even after getting the vaccine, it is good to use a condom during sexual intercourse because HPV infection increases the risk of other sexually transmitted infections.
