Saturday, November 13, 2010

HPV virus

It's getting colder.
News is forecasting more cold days to come this week.
That could mean we're expecting more fog in the mornings.

We've had 2 foggy mornings so far where the fog didn't clear out til 10am.
Well, it's close to the end of June and I love foggy weather.
My husband loves cold weather as well.
I can't wait to take him to Hokkaido next time we go there for a visit.

Well, that is irrelevant to today's topic.
A few month ago, I had a wart on my finger for the first time in my life.
It began with an insect-bite like redness with the familier itch.
I rubbed on some ointment and wait it to go away. - It didn't.
Worse even, it started to grow bigger.
I finally went to the local GP and got it removed.
He said it was a common viral infection, but he didn't tell me the name of the virus.

Now I got another one on my middle finger.
So I thought I would do a little bit of research.
The name of the virus was HPV virus.

HPV virus? I had never heard of it before, I thought.
It is apparently a common virus that has nearly 200 types, among them there are types that are linked to prostate cancer and cervical cancer.
Indeed 95% of cervical cancer is caused by HPV viral infection.
And the chilling fact is, est. 75-80% of sexually active Americans will be infected with this virus in some stage of their life.
This is Australia and the rate might not be as high - but who knows?

The problem is many people are embarrassed to go to the doctor for HPV infection that the virus will be passed onto too many people.

Of course the type of HPV virus that infected my finger was different to the one mentioned above. But it made me aware of the danger that is hidden in everyday life.

I thought keeping clean was enough to protect myself from that kind of infection, but obviously it wasn't. I'll go to the doctor tomorrow morning to get it treated.
Plus I will make sure to wear gloves at work and use my own hankie from now on.

And I definitely will take pap smear test every 2 years.

P.S.
As a volunteer at an op-shop, I appreciate donations from so many people, but there are some people out there who don't wash clothes or put rubbish in the donation bins.
To people who donate: Make sure to wash/clean items before you donate.
To people who buy: Wash/clean every items you buy from op-shop.

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