How To Lower Your Risk Of Getting Infected With A Computer...
Janet Denzel
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Several viruses are linked with cancer in humans. Our growing knowledge of the role of viruses as a cause of cancer has led to the development of vaccines to help prevent certain human cancers. But these vaccines can only protect against infections if they are given before the person is exposed to the cancer-promoting virus.
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a group of more than 150 related viruses. They are called papillomaviruses because some of them cause papillomas, which are more commonly known as warts. Some types of HPV only grow in skin, while others grow in mucous membranes such as the mouth, throat, or vagina.
All types of HPV are spread by contact (touch). More than 40 types of HPV can be passed on through sexual contact. Most sexually active people are infected with one or more of these HPV types at some point in their lives. At least a dozen of these HPV types are known to cause cancer.
While HPV infections are very common, cancer caused by HPV is not. Most people infected with HPV will not develop a cancer related to the infection. However, some people with long-lasting infections of high-risk HPV types are at risk of developing cancer.
A few types of HPV are the main causes of cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. Cervical cancer has become much less common in the United States because the Pap test has been widely available for many years. This test can show pre-cancer in cells of the cervix that might be caused by HPV infection. These pre-cancer cells can then be destroyed or removed, if needed. This can keep cancer from developing.
Doctors can now also test for HPV as part of cervical cancer screening, which can tell them if someone might be at higher risk for cervical cancer. Nearly all individuals with cervical cancer show signs of HPV infection on lab tests. Even though doctors can test for HPV, there is no treatment directed at HPV itself. If the HPV causes abnormal cells to start growing, these cells can be removed or destroyed.
Vaccines are now available to help protect children and young adults against infection from the main cancer-causing HPV types. HPV vaccination can help prevent more than 90% of HPV cancers. These vaccines are approved for use in females and males and are given as a series of injections (shots).
Of the 2 viruses, infection with HBV is more likely to cause symptoms, such as a flu-like illness and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin). Most adults recover completely from HBV infection within a few months. Only a very small portion of adults go on to have chronic HBV infections, but this risk is higher in young children. People with chronic HBV infections have a higher risk for liver cancer.
To help find some of these unknown chronic HBV and HCV infections, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all people 18 years of age or older get tested for HBV and HCV at least once during their lifetime, and that some groups of people get tested at a younger age and/or more often. (For detailed lists of who should get tested for HBV and HCV and how often, visit the CDC website at: and )
There is a vaccine to prevent HBV infection, but none for HCV. In the United States, the CDC recommends the HBV vaccine for all children and adults up to age 59, as well as those who are older and at risk of HBV exposure. This includes people infected with HIV, men who have sex with men, injection drug users, people in certain group homes, people with certain medical conditions and occupations (such as health care workers), and others. (For a more complete list of who should get the HBV vaccine, visit the CDC website at: )
HIV is not spread by insects, through water, or by casual contact such as talking, shaking hands, hugging, coughing, sneezing, or from sharing dishes, bathrooms, kitchens, phones, or computers. It is not spread through saliva, tears, or sweat.
Many scientists believe that the immune system is also important in attacking and destroying newly formed cancer cells. A weak immune system might let new cancer cells survive long enough to grow into a serious, life-threatening tumor.
Because HIV infection often has no symptoms for years, a person can have HIV for a long time and not know it. The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested for HIV at least once as part of their routine health care.
There is no vaccine to prevent HIV. But there are ways to lower your risk of getting it, such as not having unprotected sex or sharing needles with someone who has HIV. For people who are at high risk of HIV infection, such as injection drug users and people whose partners have HIV, taking medicine (as a pill every day) is another way to help lower your risk of infection.
HHV-8 is transmitted through sex and appears to be spread other ways, such as through blood and saliva, as well. Studies have shown that fewer than 10% of people in the US are infected with this virus.
KS was rare in the United States until it started appearing in people with AIDS in the early 1980s. The number of people with KS has dropped in the US since peaking in the early 1990s, most likely because of better treatment of HIV infection.
HHV-8 infection has also been linked to some rare blood cancers, such as primary effusion lymphoma. The virus has also been found in many people with multicentric Castleman disease, an overgrowth of lymph nodes that acts very much like and often develops into cancer of the lymph nodes (lymphoma). Further study is needed to better understand the role of HHV-8 in these diseases.
HTLV-1 has been linked with a type of lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma called adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). This cancer is found mostly in southern Japan, the Caribbean, central Africa, parts of South America, and in some immigrant groups in the southeastern United States.
HTLV-1 belongs to a class of viruses called retroviruses. These viruses use RNA (instead of DNA) for their genetic code. To reproduce, they must go through an extra step to change their RNA genes into DNA. Some of the new DNA genes can then become part of the chromosomes of the human cell infected by the virus. This can change how the cell grows and divides, which can sometimes lead to cancer.
Infection with HTLV-1 is rare in the United States. Fewer than 1% of people in the US are infected with HTLV-1, but this rate is much higher in groups of people at high risk (such as injection drug users). Since 1988, all blood donated in the United States has been screened for HTLV-1. This has greatly reduced the chance of infection through transfusion, and has also helped control the potential spread of HTLV-1 infection.
MCV was discovered in 2008 in samples from a rare and aggressive type of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. Most people are infected with MCV at some point (often in childhood), and it usually causes no symptoms. But in a few people with this infection, the virus can affect the DNA inside cells, which can lead to Merkel cell cancer. Nearly all Merkel cell cancers are now thought to be linked to this infection.
Scientists have found that some lab animals, such as hamsters, developed mesotheliomas when they were intentionally infected with SV40. Researchers have also noticed that SV40 can make mouse cells grown in the lab become cancerous.
Other researchers have studied biopsy specimens of certain human cancers and found fragments of DNA that look like they might be from SV40. But not all researchers have found this, and fragments much like these can also be found in human tissues that show no signs of cancer.
So far, the largest studies looking at this issue have not found any increased risk for mesothelioma or other cancers among people who got the contaminated polio vaccines as children. For example, the recent increase in lung mesothelioma cases has been seen mainly in men aged 75 and older, most of whom would not have received the vaccine. Among the age groups who were known to have gotten the vaccine, mesothelioma rates have actually gone down. And even though women were just as likely to have had the vaccine, many more men continue to be diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Grace was dating again. She and George, a family friend she had known for years, became quite close and their relationship became sexual. Because she wasn't worried about getting pregnant, Grace didn't think about using condoms. And, because she had known George for so long, she didn't think to ask him about his sexual history. So, Grace was shocked when she tested positive for HIV.
Like most people, you probably have heard a lot about HIV and AIDS. You may have thought that these diseases aren't your problem and that only younger people have to worry about them. But, anyone at any age can be infected with HIV.
When the body cannot fight off infections and some other diseases anymore, HIV can lead to a serious illness called AIDS. When someone has AIDS, they are more likely to get infections, and more vulnerable to unusual forms of cancers and other serious diseases. But, with early and uninterrupted treatment, it is possible that a person with HIV will never develop AIDS.
If you think you may have HIV, you should get tested. Everyone age 13 to 64 should be tested at least once for HIV. If you are over 64 and are at risk for HIV, talk with your doctor. Your doctor can help determine how often you should be tested and help find ways to reduce your risk.
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