ATLANTA - The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women is poised to become one of the leading causes of oral cancer in men, according to a new study.
The HPV virus now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say.
The only available vaccine against HPV, made by Merck & Co. Inc., is currently given only to girls and young women. But Merck plans this year to ask government permission to offer the shot to boys.
Experts say a primary reason for male vaccinations would be to prevent men from spreading the virus and help reduce the nearly 12,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in U.S. women each year. But the new study should add to the argument that there may be a direct benefit for men, too.
Full story here.
Eewwww!
Well, it only goes to show that before getting intimate with anyone, make sure that that someone is free from sexually transmitted disease. A little discrimination can be a matter of life and death to you.
Am I exaggerating? Of course not.
Cervical cancer is a disease related to a virus that is sexually transmitted. And that same virus is now the cause of oral cancer in men.
If men and women want to live on the edge, don't be surprised if one day you fall off that edge.
Rather than offering to give shots to boys and girls, it is better to teach boys and girls to stay away from casual sex which exposes them to sexually transmitted disease.
One more thing, that vaccine does not guarantee complete protective from all the strains of HPV.
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