The Human Papilloma Virus
Immunizing against this disease is essential to save lives. He HPV It is the sexually transmitted infection with the greatest presence in people and It is responsible for up to 95% of cervical cancer cases.
It is estimated that 50% of sexually active women have been infected with some strain of HPV, especially young women between 20 and 24 years of age and women over 45 years of age, explained Dr. Elsa Díaz López, general director of the Group Specialized in Women’s Health.
In 2019, the Ministry of Health registered 22,393 new cases of HPV in women; in 2020 there were 6,686; in 2021, 10,349, and in 2022, 14,118 new infections were reported. The decrease in previous years does not mean that fewer infections have occurred, but rather that fewer women were treated due to the pandemic and the disease was underdiagnosed. So far in 2023, as of January 28, 730 new HPV cases have been reported.
The problem with underdiagnosis is that if the infection is not detected and treated on time, the chances of developing cervical cancer are greater.
“Cervical cancer develops slowly, beginning with a usually transient and asymptomatic infection caused by HPV, which persists and gives rise to precancerous lesions that, when evolving, give rise to cancer if these lesions are not detected in time” , stressed Dr. Rogelio Aguado, a member of the Mexican College of Gynecologists dedicated to Colposcopy.
