One in nine American men has oral HPV, study finds

Article here. Excerpt:

'About one in nine American men is infected with the oral form of human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a new study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Nationwide, rates for oral HPV infections are 11.5% of men and 3.2% of women: 11 million men, compared with 3.2 million women, the researchers estimated.

An infection with this common virus, which is transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact, can cause cancer in several areas of the body, including the throat, anus, penis and vagina. Nearly all men and women will become infected with at least one type of HPV, a group of 150 related viruses, at some point in their lives, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Previous studies have shown that men have higher rates of overall HPV infections than women. The research published Monday reveals the higher rates of oral HPV infections occurring among men, said Ashish A. Deshmukh, senior author of the study and an assistant professor at the University of Florida's College of Public Health and Health Professions.'

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... on it, but SO FUCKING WHAT???

STDs have been part of mammalian experience since probably before mammals were mammals. HSV has been around since Man did the branching thing to be Homo Sapiens.

Viruses and germs LOVE to live in moist warm places. Mammalian bodies are both. Entrances to said bodies are gold to them. It is surprising that there are not more STDs among primates, not fewer.

Estimates vary but a common one is that just over half of all US adults have HSV I or II. Most ppl are asymptomatic. As for HPV, it's more like 3/4. Where this study got 1/10 I dunno. Possibly this is just confirmed oral HPV. That around 3% of women have it orally makes sense given it's transferred typically via oral-genital contact with a woman.

It's a small price to pay, IMO. But admittedly I'm a bit biased.

That said, so is HSV I: common cold sores. But HSV I can arrive other ways also. Ask any pediatrician... about 20% of infants by 6 mos. have HSV I from putting things in their mouths, such as pacifiers that have been on the floor.

Some STDs bring significant discomfort; gonorrhea for example, until it is treated. Only a very small percentage of people contract it each year. We're talking less than .129% of the adult population. Hardly an epidemic.

The CDC has a mission, I get that, and has to vie for funding each year. I get that, too. But the alarmism over STDs is just so much bluster, freaking ppl out unnecessarily. Use condoms kids, unless your mate(s) and you check out clean, then do what you're comfy with. Just avoid unwanted babies, please. Cripes, it ain't rocket science, nor a bloody national emergency.

Millenia-old common STDs get more media attention than Puerto Rico which, in case you all forgot already, was just wrecked by a hurricane.

Yeah, THAT Puerto Rico.

SMH.

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