ways HPV can be contracted

[spokenonlyonce.livejournal.com]

I hope no one minds if I start a whole new post on this, instead of asking in comments from the other post where HPV is being discussed. I'm starting a new post because I think it is very important that we all have as much infromation as possible about how HPV can in fact be contracted.

Because HPV is an STI, there is controversy over a vaccination for it, and many people think that as long as you engage in "safe sex" you shouldn't have to have the vaccine. However, it has been stated already that HPV can be passed from skin contact, so condoms do not protect against it as well as they prevent, say, HIV.

I have heard, though, that you can even contract HPV from things like toilet seats, for instance if you go into a toilet right after another woman has used it and neither of you uses seat protectors. I do not know this to be true. Can anyone confirm or deny (and ideally cite sources) that HPV can be transmitted in indirect ways like this?

Comments

[buzz-equinox.livejournal.com]

I read a government statement released document about HPV somewhere that said HPV has not been documented to have been transferred from surfaces to people.

Keyword: not documented.

If I find the article I will link you.

[emmycantbemeeko.livejournal.com]

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtoilet.html

I suppose, it's theoretically possible, if someone with an STI rubbed their genital area on a toilet seat, and then another person very quickly came and rubbed their genital area on the same seat, there might be disease transmission. But that really hardly counts as normal use- I don't know how everyone else uses the john, but my genital region never touches the seat, cause, well, why would it? The seat is there to support your outer thighs while you excrete, not to hump.

That said, I don't think there's absolute evidence one way or another, but the overwhelming opinion of the sites I've googled seems to be that it's pretty massively unlikely. Toilet seats are dry, non-porous surfaces, regularly cleaned (one hopes), and normally used in a way which does not bring them into contact with the genitals.

I do wish women would stop hovering over the seats, though. Because that definitively does cause urine-and-fecal-matter-to-seat transmission, and that is NASTY, PEOPLE. If you're too scared to use a public toilet, wait till you get home. Don't piss all over it for the rest of us, though.

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

I so agree about the hovering. It is highly unlikely that any disease can be spread from a toilet seat (especially one that appears clean and dry) with normal use. My mother is an RN, and she always taught me that there is no point in hovering.

[mermaiddrowning.livejournal.com]

Well besides the fact that you may not want to get some else's urine on your tush =)

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

Yeah - I wouldn't sit on a wet toilet seat, but I would wipe it off and sit right down (as long as the wetness did not appear to be blood... I do have my limits). Urine generally is sterile; however, if everyone sat, there would be much less splattering! :)

[mermaiddrowning.livejournal.com]

I know that urine is sterile and that the risk of contracting a disease from someone else's urine is extremely low, but that doesn't mean I want to stick my tush in someone else's pee, lol.

I agree, if everyone stopped hoovering and used those toilet seat protector (or even took the time to put down tp to create a barrier if they are that concerned) we wouldn't have to worry about anything. Until that happens though, I'll stick to hoovering when the occasion calls for it.

[violet-tigress1.livejournal.com]

Hovering is a dangerous thhing. My theory is: if you sit, you won't fall in something nastier than pee.

[mermaiddrowning.livejournal.com]

lol, thanks for the tip but I think I'll be alright =)

[lost-almost.livejournal.com]

Yep, urine is sterile when it comes out of the body. However, I doubt it is after being on toilet seat. Besides, most places where I live do not have the seat protector things.

[eat-your-heart.livejournal.com]

I'm like you. I SIT on the seat and if I see some pee on it prior I just wipe it off first.

[pinkdramon.livejournal.com]

I do wish women would stop hovering over the seats, though. Because that definitively does cause urine-and-fecal-matter-to-seat transmission, and that is NASTY, PEOPLE. If you're too scared to use a public toilet, wait till you get home. Don't piss all over it for the rest of us, though.

Written on the wall of a public restroom stall:
"If you don't squat, none of us will have to either."

Indeed.

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

All the reliable information I've read indicates that HPV is spread from direct skin-to-skin contact only. Viruses are very delicate and do not live long without a host. In addition, the warts do not generally affect areas of the body that come in contact with the toilet seat.

HPV can be spread without actually having sex if there is skin-to-skin contact. A condom does not offer complete protection from all types of HPV, because there is contact with skin that condoms don't cover.

I included a couple of HPV links - the "kids health" link specifically denies that a toilet seat can spread HPV and Planned Parenthood confirms that HPV is spread by skin to skin contact.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/stds/std_warts.html

http://www.plannedparenthood.com/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/sti/pub-HPV-cervical-cancer.xml#1096833687764::283020430147647522

[mermaiddrowning.livejournal.com]

This is my understanding of how HPV can be contracted.

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

I should add that it is generally impossible to prove a negative. No one can prove that it is impossible to spread the disease that way, just like no one can prove that unicorns don't exist. You can simply prove that it is unlikely, or that there are no confirmed cases of HPV spread in this manner (or there has never been a confirmed unicorn sighting... however you choose to look at it). :)

[morganvague.livejournal.com]

Man, I know this is late but I just have to say I'm confused by the term skin to skin contact. Are we talking about hang shake contact or contact with genitals? Because it seems that the hand shaking variety of contact would make this hella rampant. (I mean, moreso than it is?)

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

I guess you could say HPV is pretty rampant - all warts, genital and otherwise (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/common-warts/DS00370/DSECTION=causes), are caused by a strain of HPV, and lots of people have had a wart before! For specifically genital infections of HPV, about 50% of sexually active people (http://www.cdc.gov/STD/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm#common) will be infected at some point in their lives. You can't catch genital HPV from shaking hands with someone, but you could get warts on your hand from a handshake. (Though the MayoClinic notes that 'common warts' are much less contagious than genital warts). So, really, it seems like viruses from the HPV family are quite rampant, but the HPV virus is easily taken care of by most healthy immune systems.

[morganvague.livejournal.com]

The term "Taken care of" also confuses me. My understanding is your immune system will just force it into dormancy but it can resurface?

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

The American Social Health Association says, The immune system of most women will usually suppress or eliminate HPV, (http://www.ashastd.org/hpv/hpv_learn_women.cfm) and the MayoClinic says, In most cases, your immune system rids your body of the virus (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hpv-infection/DS00906/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs), so those statements seem to indicate that it is possible to completely clear HPV.

[morganvague.livejournal.com]

Aw. Hope is nice. Thanks!

[free-me07.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! If you haven't already, you might also want to check out VP's Vulvapedia article on HPV (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=Human_Papillomavirus_(HPV)) for a compilation of information with reliable links and resources.

[mollyester.livejournal.com]

The Centers for Disease Control says you could not get HPV from a toilet seat (you can download their HPV pdf brochure here (http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/genaud4-2005/CDC_HPV_Brochure_LowRez.pdf)).

[fierceawakening.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine you could. as I understand it HPV dies very quickly if it's exposed to air.

[lapenn.livejournal.com]

a little late to the game here, but I'm reading up on HPV (my case has reoccurred, so I'm going back in for colpos and maybe more soon).

I contracted my HPV from manual sex. As far as I can tell, the HPV didn't die from being exposed to air. I was camping with my then boyfriend at a large camping event. He was cheating on me with another girl that was there. Best I can tell, he messed around with her and then immediately with me. Six months later, I got a pap and tested positive for HPV. We broke up soon after that, and I wasn't seeing anyone else before the pap, so I'm pretty darn sure that he managed to pass it skin to skin using his hands (of all gross things).

I'm pretty sure HPV does die after awhile when exposed to air, but it's certainly not immediate.

On a side note, I've also heard that HPV can be passed via damp towels. I'm now very careful to make sure I don't share my towels with anyone else.

[fierceawakening.livejournal.com]

*nods* Thanks for the info.

[foureyeddarlin.livejournal.com]

There was a very recent study looking at condom use and preventing HPV transmission:

Study: Condoms protect well against cancer-causing virus (http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/06/22/condoms.hpv.ap/).

From what I've read at the sources I trust, fomite ("fomite" is the term used to describe items like toilet seats and towels that could act as a transmittion vehicle for microorganisms) transmission is believed to be possible, but rare:

Association of Reproductive Health Professionals on HPV (http://www.arhp.org/healthcareproviders/onlinepublications/clinicalproceedings/cphpv/types.cfm?ID=149).

A synopsis from the National Institutes of Health on the ALTS trial (the ALTS trial is a landmark trial that looked at detecting, triaging, and treating dysplasia. It is a highly regarded study.

THE ASCUS/LSIL TRIAGE STUDY FOR CERVICAL CANCER (ALTS) (http://www.cancer.gov/prevention/alts/abouthpv.html)

[violet-tigress1.livejournal.com]

Condom Use and the Risk of Genital Human Papillomavirus Infection in Young Women (http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/25/2645)
Study in The New England Journal of Medicine