HPV can be prevented by getting the HPV vaccine, limiting your number of sexual partners, using a condom and/or dental dam. The HPV-9 (Gardasil) vaccine is up to 90% effective at protecting against the nine types of HPV most commonly responsible for genital warts and HPV-related cancers.
In Alberta, HPV vaccination is available to all grade 6 students. If you did not get the HPV-9 vaccine in Grade 6, you can still get it for free up to and including age 26 years.
Since the vaccines were developed to prevent HPV, and not treat it, the vaccine will work best if given before a person has any sexual contact (oral, anal, vaginal, or skin-to-skin contact in the genital area).
For people with a cervix, pap tests can screen for cervical cancer caused by HPV. Current recommendations are to begin having regular Pap tests starting at age 25, or 3 years after becoming sexually active, whichever is later.
Using condoms, vaginal condoms or dental dams every time you have sex (anal, oral, vaginal) lowers the risk of HPV. Keep in mind that the virus may be on skin that isn’t covered, so HPV can still be passed on even if condoms or dental dams are used. People who are already sexually active but haven’t been vaccinated can still get the vaccine. It may still protect them from types of HPV they haven’t been exposed to.