The ‘P’ in HPV does not stand for panic

People with STIs are not dirty or damaged. In fact, they are just typical.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes (HSV) are so common that most sexually active people will contract one (if not both) in their lifetimes according, to the Center for Disease Control. There is no reason to panic. Chances are that if a person contracts one or both viruses, they may never know. There is no reason to uphold society’s social stigma against people who have sexually transmitted infections or diseases.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, followed by HSV. About 80 percent of sexually active people are infected with HPV at some point in their lives.

HPV is not totally benign. High-risk strains of HPV causes about 5 percent of all cancers globally and HPV 16, and HPV 17 alone cause 70 percent of cervical cancers. These are still statistically rare in terms of viral variations and quantity of global HPV infections.

There are many variations of the virus, very few of which are dangerous and that have an observable effect on the infected person. Though most people with these viruses never experience any symptoms, the CDC also cites that most HPV infections go away on their own within a years time.

HPV and HSV are so innocuous that most physicians do not test for them in “full panel” STI tests. Typically, physicians only look for potentially cancerous strains of the viruses via pap smears. While this process may seem counter-productive, physicians have a good reason for not testing patients or informing them of a possible infection. Sexual health professionals believe informing an individual of their HPV or HSV status does more harm than good.

The stigma against STI-positive people is much more pervasive and harmful than the viruses itself. It would cause more stress and damage to one’s self-esteem and anxiety if they know about their HPV and HSV status.

Due to sexual education courses in the U.S. using fear-tactics to scare people out of having sex, public schools display gruesome images of genital warts and extreme cases of infections left untreated. This as a result polarizes young people to think negatively of people with STIs.

STIs are not a death sentence for someone’s sex life.

For those who are HPV or HSV positive and experience symptoms, they often face an overwhelming sense of shame despite their status may be being no different than their peers. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that stress and depression play a significant role in whether an HPV positive individual’s ability to fight off an infection.

The stigma and shame they face certainly does not help and it is an unfair lottery of who has the virus and is symptomatic. If all sexually active people came to understand there is no difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic STI positive, the stigma towards STI positive people can be lessened significantly.

Using barrier methods such as condoms, HPV vaccinations against cancerous strains and regular STI testing are necessary for individual and society-wide sexual health. Just because the most common forms are not typically harmful, does not mean individuals should not take all necessary precautions to keep themselves and others sexually healthy. Disclosing STI to partners is encouraged and a staple of consent. Though the idea might make most people uncomfortable at first, it is worth noting if the STI is asymptomatic and non-threatening, physicians tend to support that it is ultimately a personal choice to disclose this information to sexual partners.

In a perfect world people could disclose their STI status without fear of social backlash. There are steps everyone can take to make this world tangible.

If everyone became more educated about the holistic reality of STI and equipped themselves with knowledge instead of fear-driven bias and changed their language around STIs, then society would have a healthier and less stigmatized view of those who are positive.

Often times when people get tested and have STI negative results, they tell people they are “clean” or had a “clean bill of health.” This language implies that those who are STI positive are “dirty.” Instead, the language of “STI negative” or “STI positive” should be adopted at large.

It is time to be better at discussing sexual health and time be better to each other.