Can HPV be treated?
Antibiotics or other currently available medicines cannot treat HPV infection. Luckily, the virus usually goes away or is suppressed by the body to a low level without causing any problems. However, if the infection persists, treatment is available only for the abnormal cells that form as a result. For example, genital warts can be treated with gels, creams, lasers or other technologies. Likewise, pre-cancerous cells on the cervix can be removed using surgical procedures such as LEEP (a technique that uses electrical energy) or laser therapy. When invasive cervical cancer already has developed, hysterectomy and chemotherapy usually are needed. Since no treatment is available for the infection itself, the most effective method of avoiding complications is early detection and treatment of abnormal cells before they become cancerous. That is why it is so critical to get regular screening with a Pap smear and – once a woman is 30 or over – the HPV test. Younger women are very likely to get
