What is the current status of human papilloma virus (HPV) typing?
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that may be spread from one person to another even when the genital sores are not visible. Many sexually active people are carriers of HPV, very often without even knowing they are carriers. It is estimated that up to 60% of sexually active women harbor this virus on their cervix or in their vaginal area. It is not unusual for a woman to be unaware that she has HPV – only to find out that her Pap smear shows evidence of HPV. HPV is not curable, although the cellular damage it causes is generally treatable and a vaccine against the four most commonly found HPV types is available. A woman with HPV needs careful and regular long-term medical follow-up to watch for any resulting HPV-associated pre-cancerous cellular changes. There are over 70 different strains of HPV virus. Based on the observation that certain strains of HPV (for example, types 16 and 18) are more likely to be associated with cervical cancer, some people have advocated testing HPV infec
