Carrie asks: I heard that HPV kills more people (through cancer) than AIDS. Is this true?

Hi, Carrie -This is the second time I've heard this rumor, so perhaps it's going around. Not only is this false, it is way, WAY off.

It is true that cervical cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. That amounts to about 200,000 deaths annually, and most of those are HPV-related. HPV is also related to other cancers, and although we don't yet know the total number of deaths from them, it is totally out of the question that they would begin to approach the worldwide devastation caused by HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization estimates that the death toll from HIV/AIDS has reached three million annually.

More on cervical cancer around the world

Q&A's Specific to HPV and Dysplasia

 

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