The most common STI in the world - Emma Bryce

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: Candace Hwang

At some point,

在某些时候，

most sexually active people will be infected with human papillomavirus,

多数性生活频繁的人 会感染人类乳头瘤病毒，

or ‘HPV.’

即 HPV。

There are over 100 types of HPV,

HPV 的类型超过100种，

and most of the time the body eliminates infections without symptoms–

且多数还没有任何症状的时候 身体就消除了感染——

but some strains can pose serious health risks down the line.

但某些菌株将来能产生健康风险。

HPV causes contact infections,

HPV 引起接触感染，

which means the virus stays in the cells near the point of infection

这意味着病毒会 留在感染点附近的细胞中，

rather than spreading throughout the whole body.

而不是遍布全身，

Since HPV is often transmitted through sexual activity,

由于 HPV 一般经由性生活传播，

this usually means the cells of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus,

所以通常指阴道、 外阴、阴茎、肛门、

mouth and throat.

口腔和喉咙的细胞。

We can test for HPV in cells from these areas,

我们可以检测 这些部位细胞中的 HPV，

but while testing for the virus is scientifically possible,

尽管对病毒进行检测科学上可行，

it isn’t common.

但这并不常用。

The main reason is that,

其主要原因是，

while there are treatments for the adverse health effects caused by HPV,

虽然针对 HPV 引起的 不利健康影响有治疗方法，

there’s no treatment for the virus itself.

但对病毒本身却没有根治方法。

So testing for HPV would yield many, many positives,

因此，检测 HPV 会产生许多的阳性结果，

and although most of them won’t be cause for concern,

尽管其中多数不会有什么问题，

there is still no treatment plan for clearing the body of the virus.

但仍没有清除病毒体的治疗方案。

But there are other good ways to protect yourself from HPV.

但还有其他好方法 可保护你免受 HPV 的伤害。

We’re going to walk through how HPV can cause harm,

我们将详细介绍 HPV 如何造成伤害、

who’s at risk, and how to minimize those risks.

哪些人有风险、以及如何 最大限度地降低这些风险。

The body’s immune system is able to eradicate most strains of HPV

身体的免疫系统能够 在 HPV 病毒造成任何伤害之前

before they cause any harm—

就根除大多数HPV病毒 ——

and without people even knowing they’ve been infected.

甚至在人们不知道 自己已被感染的情况下。

Certain other strains–

某些其它菌株 ——

like HPV 6 and 11–

如 HPV6 和 11 ——

cause abnormalities in the cells of the infected tissue,

可引起感染组织的细胞异常，

which can develop into genital warts.

它们可能发展成生殖器疣。

While these are infectious and require treatment,

虽然这些疣有传染性且需治疗，

usually with topical creams,

通常使用外用乳膏，

wart-causing strains don’t create longer-term damage.

但引起疣的菌株不会造成长期损害。

But another 13 strains can cause DNA mutations that cause cells to divide

但另外 13 种菌株可导致 DNA 突变，

at a much faster pace than normal,

造成细胞以超快速度分裂，

propelling the development of cancerous growths.

刺激癌症生长的发展。

子宫颈细胞就面临高风险，

The cells of the cervix are especially at risks.

Two in particular–

特别是这两种病毒——

HPV 16 and 18–

HPV16 和 18 ——

are responsible for the majority of cases of cervical cancer,

是造成宫颈癌的主要原因，

which is now the fourth most common type of cancer in women.

而现在，宫颈癌已是 女性第四种常见癌症。

It can take up to 20 years for cancer symptoms to appear,

可能需长达 20 年 才会出现癌症症状，

but with regular screening,

但通过定期筛查，

we can discover cellular abnormalities in the cervix

我们可在其发展为癌症前，

before they develop into cancer.

就发现宫颈细胞的异常。

Women over 21 can undergo a regular pap smear,

21 岁以上的女性可以 接受常规宫颈抹片检查，

where a sample of tissue is gently scraped from the lining of the cervix

从宫颈内膜轻轻刮取组织样本，

to test for abnormal cells.

以检测异常细胞。

A positive test doesn’t mean the person has cervical cancer,

检测结果阳性 并不意味着患有宫颈癌，

but rather that there are irregular cells in the cervix

而是指宫颈中存在

that could develop into cancer in the future.

将来可能发展为癌症的 不规则细胞。

Patients are then either monitored with more frequent pap smears,

接下来患者要接受更频繁的 宫颈抹片检查以监控癌变，

or, for more severe irregularities,

或者，对于宫颈细胞 严重不规则的患者，

undergo a procedure called a colposcopy.

可接受阴道镜检查。

This involves a doctor examining the cervix through a microscope,

这需要医生通过显微镜检查宫颈，

and possibly taking a small biopsy of tissue for closer examination.

并可能进行小组织活检 以进一步检查。

在某些情况下，可移除感染组织。

In some cases, the affected tissue may be removed.

HPV infections of the throat may lead to head and neck cancers,

喉部 HPV 感染可导致头颈部癌症，

but for now there’s no equivalent of the pap smear for the throat.

但目前喉部还没有 类似宫颈抹片的检查。

Using condoms helps prevent the spread of HPV during sex.

使用避孕套有助于 防止性行为传播 HPV，

And there are three safe, effective vaccines that all target HPV 16 and 18.

有三种针对 HPV16 和 18 的 安全而有效的疫苗，

The vaccine comes in two or three doses a few months apart,

疫苗分为二或三剂，间隔几个月，

and it’s only beneficial if you receive them all.

只有全部接种完后， 你才会对此免疫。

Right now the vaccine is part of standard care for girls aged 11 to 18

目前，在许多国家， 该疫苗是 11 至 18 岁女孩的

常规社保的一部分 ——

in many countries–

though it’s increasingly becoming available to boys as well.

尽管越来越多的男孩也开始接种。

Adult women and men in countries including the United States and the United Kingdom

美英两国的成年女性和男性，

can opt to receive the vaccine,

可以选择接种该疫苗，

and evidence suggests that vaccination of women and men

有证据表明，男性和女性接种该疫苗

could reduce the worldwide incidence of cervical cancer by almost 90%.

可使全球宫颈癌发病率降低近 90％。

Researchers are also developing an injection

对于已经感染 HPV16 和 18 的人，

for people who are already infected with HPV 16 and 18,

研究人员也在为他们研制一种针剂，

which would target the infected cells

可以靶向受感染的细胞，

to stop them from developing into cancerous ones.

阻止它们发展成为癌细胞。

So while there’s still room for improvement in screening,

因此，虽然在筛查、治疗、 以及获取以上两者方面

treatment, and access to each,

仍有改进空间，

condom use, vaccination, and cervical screening

但使用安全套、接种疫苗和宫颈筛查

can each reduce the harm caused by HPV.

都可以减少 HPV 造成的危害。