If you went to a public high school you probably got lectured in the library about the dangers of Aids, chlamydia, or gonorrhea. However those are some pretty dangerous health conditions, there’s one sexually transmitted disease they left out.
Sex education has become somewhat obsolete in today’s society, however that doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, sex education is extremely important; especially with the rising cases of the HPV virus. Sex education teachers don’t usually take HPV into consideration, but it is actually extremely dangerous.
HPV is one of the scariest sexually transmitted diseases because condoms do not protect against it. HPV stands for the Human Papilloma Virus. It is the most commonly transmitted sexual disease. It is so common that most sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lifetimes. While there are different types of HPV, some of them can cause health issues such as genital warts and cancers. When one becomes infected it can take years for them to show symptoms so it makes it very hard to identify where you got it from.
You can contract the HPV virus in several different ways, but it is most commonly transported through anal, vaginal, or oral sex. They usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the area. They can be small, large, flat, or oddly shaped. It is difficult, but it can be prevented. Up to 80% of males and females will be infected with the virus at some point in their life. It is extremely common but can be prevented by prior testing if you are planning to have sexual intercourse.
If you are planning to have sex it is crucial to your health that you are informed of all the dangers. HPV is dangerous, sneaky, and common. Be sure that you nor your partner have it before you have sexual intercourse.