From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med.transcription,sci.med,sci.med.nursing,uk.sci.med.nursing
Subject: Re: HPV = Cervical Cancer
Date: 6 Jan 2000 10:55:59 GMT

In <851903$36nu$1@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com> "Angel"
<ANGEL3577@prodigy.net> writes:

>Bob <bbruner@uclink4.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
>news:3872b2bf.31322793@agate.berkeley.edu...
>
>> What is not clear is how it works, so far as I know. Most people with
>> HPV do not get cancer, but it is an important factor.
>
>The warts from HPV usually occur on the inside of a woman's genital tract
>as well, resulting in scarring of the cervix and other organs of
>reproduction. This leads to possible cell changes in many places. Any
>abnormal change to a cell can be a precursor to cancer.



   Though the HPV strains that cause warts are not the worst offenders
when it comes to causing cervical cancer.  So it's not quite this
simple.

   As for AIDS being contagious, it's the same as saying that genital
warts are contagious.  There no clarity to be gained by saying it's the
virus that's contagious, and then the virus causes the warts.  So what?
No, the virus doesn't always cause warts, but then no germ known ALWAYS
causes the disease in every host, at normal epidemiologic levels of
innoculum.  Microbes are necessary for the disease they cause-- they
are very rarely sufficient.