Tag: Outbreak

Where To Get More Information About Warts

If you’ve discovered warts on your skin, or if you simply wish to learn about your personal risk factors and best means of prevention, you can visit your family physician. Your own doctor is the person who will be the most familiar with your healthcare needs and any known medical problems which you may have. He will be able to assess how much at risk you may be of contracting warts, and give you information on the steps you should take to prevent them. If you have already experienced an outbreak of warts, he will be able to advise you on what wart-removal methods will best suit your personal needs.

If you do not have a physician, or if you wish more detailed advice, you should consult with a dermatologist. A dermatologist, who specializes in the care of skin and treatment of skin conditions, can provide all of the same help that a family physician can, and will likely be more skilled at the various wart-removal procedures. He will probably have had experience in doing these procedures as well; so if you have any reservations about requesting medical help for wart removal, you should check with a dermatologist.

Perhaps your only concern on the subject of warts is that you would like more information. In that case, there is a wide variety of resources where you can find out everything you wish to know. You can check the medical section of your local public library. There is sure to be some reference-type materials which can answer your questions.

You will probably also be able to gain information at a college or university library if there is one in your locale. Most colleges and universities have no objections to allowing non-students to do research at their campus libraries. You can ask the reference librarians for assistance.

Some hospitals also have libraries where anyone who wishes to do so can do research. Basic information about warts is not difficult to find in most kinds of libraries. You will likely find someone who will help you find the information that you are looking for.

Regardless of what aspect of warts you are curious about, you can surely find whatever information you are looking for on the internet. Whether you want information on the causes of warts, prevention and treatment, or risk factors, you can find relevant information on many websites. If you know what type of information you are looking for, you will probably be able to find it.

Of all the possible sources of good, helpful information about warts, what generally is not the best source are your friends, family, co-workers, and other non-professionals. Through these people you will be more likely to gain a host of misinformation and opinions, as well as a host of home remedies that will not work. To find out whatever you need to know about warts, it is best to check with someone who has medical knowledge, or material which has been written by professionals.

Warts – Causes And Prevention

Warts are an ongoing problem for many people of all ages. They can go beyond being just a minor annoyance, sometimes resulting in much more serious health implications. Warts can be spread to other people, causing them to become infected with the virus. And some types of warts can be deadly. Taking all of these factors into consideration, it is a good idea to know what causes warts and methods you can take to minimize your risk of getting them. If you have already acquired warts, it is equally important if not more so, to lessen the chance of transmitting them to other people. The best precaution you can take is to be armed with the facts.

Warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus. So far, more than eighty different kinds of this virus have been identified. The various forms affect various parts of the body. The incubation period between when a person becomes infected and when an outbreak occurs also varies. The warts are easily transmittable from one person to another, and can also be transmitted from one part of the body to another area. Factors which determine a person’s likelihood of becoming infected include the state of the person’s immune system, the degree of virus that is present in the warts, the location of the warts, and the degree of contact.

Although it is often difficult or even impossible to prevent infection, there are some measures you can take to lessen this risk. If you already have one or more warts, it is important to prevent them from spreading. You should try to avoid touching the wart, for it can lead to the virus being spread to other areas you may touch afterward. You should avoid using other people’s towels and washcloths if they have not been cleaned. You should avoid wearing other people’s shoes. In locations where the virus might be present, you should make a point of wearing shoes to prevent indirect contact with infected surfaces. These factors will greatly reduce your risk of acquiring the virus associated with all forms of warts.

In addition, there are special factors associated with genital warts, which are the most serious and potentially deadly. These warts, which are a prime factor in cervical cancer, are spread by sexual contact. The risk of these warts and the cancer which results from them is highest in people who have multiple sexual partners. Although it is not as widely known as it should be, while having multiple partners increases the risk of coming in contact with a person who already has this infection, it has also been shown that having multiple partners alters one’s own natural levels of bacteria and will make you more susceptible to the virus. Not having multiple sexual partners is the most sound way to lessen your risk of acquiring genital warts. Those who already have them can also spread them by touch or by sharing infected washcloths and towels.

Currently, there are issues about a vaccine called Gardasil. This vaccine is proported to protect against four of the strains of Human Papilloma Virus which account for ninety percent of genital warts. Although this vaccine is not far beyond the testing stage, making the risk factors of the vaccine itself debatable, some locations are recommending it for young children. Some states are attempting to mandate this vaccine for little girls. In addition to the fact that the risk factors of the vaccine have not yet been adequately tested, the main issue being debated is whether giving elementary-school-aged children a vaccine to prevent a sexually-transmitted disease will lead many children and adolescents to believe it is okay to become sexually active and engage in a promiscuous lifestyle.

The Facts About Warts And Cervical Cancer

There are many varieties of warts, and many strains of the virus that causes them. In the instance of warts which can lead to cervical cancer, too much of the American population has too much misinformation. This leads many people to be in a panic, and this panic is unnecessary.

The first, and most important fact, is that the general types of warts which many people have are not a factor. The plantar warts which appear on the feet, for example, are not a casual factor in later cervical cancer, because they do not contain the specific strains of the virus which leads to cervical cancer.

Another misconception is many people are not aware of the fact that the childhood disease commonly known as chicken pox is also not relevant to later cervical cancer, as it too does not possess that strain of the virus.

The bottom line is that the specific strains of human papilloma virus which can lead to cervical cancer are sexually transmitted. When a person becomes infected with this virus through sexual contact with an infected person, the warts will usually develop. Not developing these warts is not a sign that one has not contracted the virus, as many can be symptom-free even if the virus is present in their system. An outbreak of genital warts, however, is a visible sign that one is infected. In such an instance, even if a person has the warts removed by a professional, the virus is still in one’s system.

Approximately seventy percent of cervical cancers are caused by approximately ten different strains of the human papilloma virus. There are more than thirty strains of this virus which are sexually transmitted, but they are not all cancer-causing viruses. Currently, there are a number of methods available in aiding one’s resistance against the genital warts, but none are one-hundred-percent effective, and some contain their own risks.

One is the new drug called Gardasil. In many areas, Gardasil being administered by vaccine is already in practice. It has been stated that the reason for giving this vaccine to little girls as young as nine years of age is to ensure protection against the genital warts and the particular strains of the cancer-causing virus before the girls become sexually active. One negative repercussion to this practice is that the vaccine has not been researched enough to ensure its safety, and a number of young girls have already died from receiving it. Another repercussion is that such a vaccine can promote early sexual activity.

Another method used to protect against genital warts are condoms. This is not effective, because regardless of the exact placement of the wart or cluster of warts, the virus is not localized solely to that particular point. The virus is not only in the wart or wart cluster itself, it is frequently also on the surrounding skin areas.

The main risk factors associated with genital warts are: beginning sexual activity at a young age; having multiple sexual partners; and not being aware of whether one’s partner is infected, whether he actually has visible warts or not. In other words, indiscriminate sexual activity is the number-one risk factor in acquiring genital warts, and, in women, the potential of cervical cancer. While plantar warts and the other common varieties are difficult enough in themselves, they are not related to the genital warts that can lead to cervical cancer.

Issues About Warts

Warts can be an aggravation; warts can be deadly. There are a number of issues surrounding this topic. All result in the common sense that preventing warts is the best method of dealing with them, and that if you do experience an outbreak it should be treated as promptly and thoroughly as possible. If warts reoccur, as they often do, that too should be addressed and dealt with.

Although it is far from being a minor consideration, on the lesser end of the scale is the fact that warts are an annoyance. For anyone who experiences an outbreak of warts, they can range from embarrassment to social stigma. For young people especially, having visible warts on the face, hands, feet, or other parts of the body can result in ridicule from one’s peers. Warts are unsightly. That point in itself is a good reason to try to avoid acquiring them, or to have them promptly treated if they do occur. Adults should not act as if a child’s or teenager’s warts are “no big deal,” for the distress they cause is very real.

Another factor about the serious nature of warts is that they are contagious. If a person has warts, it is unfair and irresponsible to put other people in the position of becoming infected. This irresponsibility shows when someone who has warts freely shares infected towels, washcloths, other clothing items, and especially shoes.

It is very unfair to not be concerned if the virus which causes warts is transmitted to other people. This point also holds true for those who knowingly have this contagious problem yet willingly pass it on to other people by such means as using public swimming areas, showers, locker rooms, etc., without taking proper precautions as wearing sandals or some other type of protective item which can guard against it being transmitted. People who do not have warts are then in the position of having to safeguard themselves against the risk of infection.

By far the worst and most serious issue about warts is irresponsibility with physical and sexual contact which can transmit genital warts. As this form of warts is considered to be a sexually-transmitted disease, directly linked to causing cancer, one’s personal conduct plays the largest role in the extent of one’s risk factors. Simply not engaging in a promiscuous lifestyle with multiple partners significantly reduces one’s risk of acquiring this form of warts.

As is evidenced by debates in recent news, this subject has become more a political issue than a medical issue. It would appear to be more common sense to safeguard children’s health by discouraging children against sexual activity instead of providing them with a vaccine which will make unrestricted sexual activity safer. Many who disagree with this viewpoint, however, consider it to be a matter of “forcing values” onto children. Not taking common sense into consideration has already led a number of youngsters to die of complications from this vaccine, primarily blood clots.