Unfortunately, doctors do not yet have a reliable screening tool for detecting HPV in men. People can make detection of external lesions easier by swabbing the genital area with vinegar. Although they are not necessarily warts, areas that look lighter represent potential problems that should be examined by a health care professional. Early detection is the key to preventing the more serious consequences of an HPV infection. Early detection allows doctors to eliminate problematic lesions with a minimum of discomfort, time and expense.
Doctors have a variety of options for treating the lesions once they are detected.
This means that a condom is not enough to prevent infection, she said. HPV takes a long time to incubate and the symptoms are often difficult to detect, so there is no way to be sure that a new sexual partner is clear of the disease. Even if there are no symptoms, HPV can still be transmitted between people. Thus far, abstinence has been the best way to prevent HPV infections, but the researchers at the Student Health Center hope that the new vaccine offers another option. The study is designed to test whether the people infected with the vaccine are protected from the virus.