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Scientists Finally Found a Cure for HPV

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.

Recently, researchers from Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute successfully cured 29 patients with the HPV infection. According the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 79 million Americans are affected with HPV and 14 million new people become infected each year.

HPV sometimes can go away, but in some cases could cause cancer. HPV can be prevented by getting a vaccine, but it does not always protect against all HPV types, such as HPV causing cervical cancer. Also, women who get the vaccine after becoming sexually active may not get the full benefits of the vaccine, if they have already been exposed to HPV.

The researchers from Mexico used a non-invasive treatment called photodynamic therapy that uses the drug, photosensitiser and a light of specific wavelength. When the drug is exposed to the wavelength, they release a form of reactive oxygen that can damage the DNA in the cells nearby.

As the cancer grows, the effectiveness of this treatment reduces. Those who just have HPV have a 100 percent success rate. Those with HPV and cervical cancer have a 64.3 percent success rate. And those with just cervical cancer have a 57 percent success rate.

There are at least 100 types of HPV, so finding a cure that will help all women in anyway, whether the percent is 100, 64, or 57, is a huge thing for medical advancement and women everywhere.

 

Sources:

https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/scientist-finds-cure-for-hpv-infe…

https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm 

Her Campus CWU President and Writer Previous Her Campus CWU Events Director Current student at Central Washington University  Major: Public Relations Minor: Advertising, Sports Business, and Interdisplinary Honors I love writing about anything and everything! Politics, fashion, mental health, and many others! I hope to be able to utilize my skills/ endeavors from Her Campus, along with other clubs, organizations, and experience in order to pursue a career in PR.