Canadian Women Make 85,000 Medical Visits A Year Due To Genital Warts

December 05, 2006

In a brand new study conducted by Dr. Marc Brisson that significant healthcare resources are being used to diagnose and treat human papillomavirus - HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18-related diseases, including incidents of cervical cancer and genital warts. Dr. Brisson presented these new findings at the 7th Canadian Immunization Conference today in Winnipeg.

"Each year, the diseases attributable to HPV are estimated to cost the Canadian healthcare system over $300 million," explained Dr. Brisson. "My research shows that HPV vaccination has the potential to significantly reduce the burden caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18-related diseases. When we look at genital warts, our model estimates that only eight women need to be vaccinated to prevent one case. This tells us that there are a lot of people that get genital warts and that the vaccine is effective at preventing them."

Genital warts are cauliflower-like masses of various sizes and shapes that if left untreated can grow and multiply. Most people (66 per cent) who have sexual contact with a partner who is infected by genital warts will themselves develop warts, usually within three months of contact. Condoms unfortunately do not give complete protection against HPV infection.