Introduction

In 1972, the association of the human papilloma viruses with skin cancer in epidermodysplasia verruciformis was proposed by Stefania Jablonska in Poland. In 1976 Haraldzur Hausen published the hypothesis that human papilloma virus plays an important role in the cause of cervical cancer. In 1978 Jablonska and Gerard Orth at the Pasteur Instistute discover HPV-5 in skin cancer. In 1983 and 1984, Hausen and his collaborators identified HPV 16 and 18.

A human papillomavirus (HPV) is a member of the papillomavirus family of viruses that is capable of infecting humans. Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish productive infections inly in the stratified epithelium of the skin of mucous membranes. 

The majority of the nearly 200 known types of HPV cause no symptoms in most people, some types can cause warts(verrucae), while the other, in some cases may lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, and anus in women or cancer of the anus and penis in men.

More than 30 to 40 types of HPV are typically transmitted through sexual contact and infect the anogenital region.  Some sexually transmitted HPV types may cause genital wart. Persistent infection with “high-risk” HPV may progress to precancerous lessiond and invasive cancer. HPV infection is a cause nearly all cases of cervical cancer, however, most infection with this types do not cause disease.

As we all know, one of the way to prevent this virus is by taking HPV vaccines. HPV vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil), which prevent infection with the HPV types (16 and 18) that cause 70% of cervical cancer may lead to further decreases. 

HPV Vaccines

HPV vaccine : Cervarix

HPV vaccine : Gardasil

References:

“Genital HPV Infection_CDC Fact Sheet” Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV