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A new report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed nearly 23 percent of U.S adults between ages 18 and 59 were infected with a high-risk strain of human papillomavirus (HPV).
The number increases from 23 to 42 percent if all forms of genital HPV are included in the stat.
HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted disease, will affect nearly all sexually active men and women at some point in their lives, according to the report.
The rates for high-risk oral HPV was highest among non-hispanic Black adults. The numbers are troubling considering the virus causes 30,700 cancers every year, the CDC reveals.
Dr. Geraldine McQuillan of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, told the Post, “We tend to overlook the fact that 20 percent of us are carrying the virus that can cause cancer. People need to realize that this is a serious concern.”
Even though nine out of ten HPV infections can go away on their own, the CDC recommends all kids between 11 or 12 be vaccinated to prevent cancer. The vaccines fight against at least 28,000 strains of cancer causing HPV.
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1 In 5 U.S. Adults Were Infected With High-Risk HPV Between 2013 And 2014 was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
