Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
What is Human Papillomavirus?​​
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can affect the throat, mouth and genital area and is mostly spread through skin to skin contact
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It is the most common sexually transmitted infection and can cause genital warts
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What is at risk of HPV?​​​
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The simple answer is everyone! However, there are some factors that are associated with higher risk:
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Number of sexual partners
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Age of first sexual intercourse
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Men who have sex with men (MSM)
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Immunosuppressive conditions or medications that suppress the immune system (i.e transplant medications, chemotherapy, cancer, HIV)
What are symptoms of HPV?​​​
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HPV often does not have any symptoms but in some cases can cause genital warts.
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Most of the time HPV does not cause any issues but infections are associated with increased risk of cervical, anal, penile, vaginal cancers.
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In total it is believed that around 5% of all cancers can be attributed to HPV.
What about the HPV vaccine?​​​​
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The HPV vaccine protects against 9 types of HPV (types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58).
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In Alberta, the HPV vaccine is a routine vaccine in childhood
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Adults may also be eligible for the HPV vaccine depending on your immunization history.
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Talk to our pharmacists to get more information about HPV and vaccine eligibility