the essential
Faced with the papillomavirus epidemic, the Occitanie region is warning about the issues of screening, vaccination and consent.
Warts, bleeding, risk of cancer of the penis, anus and cervix… Papillomavirus (HPV) viral infections are among the most common STIs according to a Public Health France study dating from 2023. These are transmitted during contact between mucous membranes, even without penetration. With multiple consequences, but which can be limited thanks to four essential pillars in terms of sexual health: screening, vaccination, protection and respect for consent. So many issues at the heart of the national sexual health weeks in Occitania, which take place from June 3 to 16, 2024.
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In the vast majority of cases, people infected with papillomavirus are asymptomatic. However, it can happen that itching, bleeding and condyloma (warts) appear on the genitals in the month following infection. The diagnosis is made during a consultation with a dermatologist, urologist or gynecologist. Warts can be treated with a cream or laser treatment.
Cancer of the penis, anus, cervix
In rarer cases, the virus is responsible for cancerous lesions which are the cause of 3% to 10% of cervical cancers. In these women, screening is recommended between the ages of 25 and 65 and is carried out using a cervical-uterine smear. “If the result of the cytological examination is positive, additional examinations will be carried out such as a colposcopy (careful observation of the cervix) and/or a biopsy,” explains the Pasteur Institute.
“In men, the detection of genital HPV is of little interest and does not require any particular treatment or monitoring” decrees the Montpellier University Hospital in a 2023 report. However, more than one in five men in the world would be carrier of high-risk HPV according to the Pasteur Institute. In men, it can be the cause of penile or anal cancer. However, only in the event of external signs – warts, lesions – will a diagnosis be recommended. HPV can additionally infect the mouth and throat, causing oropharyngeal cancer. In France, 6,600 cancers per year are attributed to the papillomavirus.
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The papillomavirus vaccine also concerns men
Currently, there are three vaccines that provide protection against several types of HPV – Cervarix, Gardasil and Gardasil 9. “Vaccination coverage has increased up to 50% for both sexes, especially thanks to the vaccination campaign from 12 years old in schools”, welcomes Professor Alain Makinson during a press briefing in the Occitanie region as part of the national sexual health weeks. Note that the generalization of the vaccine to both sexes only dates back to 2021. However, the papillomavirus “concerns women as much as men, heterosexual as well as homosexual relationships”, notes Catherine Simonin, vice-president of the league against cancer .
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Protecting yourself, a story of consent
In addition to screening and vaccination, wearing a condom – female or male – allows you to protect yourself, but according to the report on the state of sexism from the High Council for Equality (2023), “12% of women have already suffered unprotected sex at the insistence of their partner, while 4% have already had sex during which the partner removed it without a condom without their consent”, as noted by 20Minutes. It is therefore good to remember that caring about the health of others means caring about their consent.
