human papillomavirus

noun

Definition of human papillomavirus

: any of numerous papillomaviruses (as of the genera Alphapapillomavirus, Betapapillomavirus, and Gammapapillomavirus) that cause various human papillomas (such as genital warts and plantar warts) and include some associated with the production of human cancer —abbreviation HPV

Examples of human papillomavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Alabamians are at greater risk than those in other states from certain types of cancers related to the human papillomavirus – or HPV - because of lower vaccination rates among children, officials say. — al, "Alabama HPV vaccination rate lags nationally," 17 Aug. 2019 Hopkins colleagues said his seminal paper, originally published in the Journal of Pathology in 1999, led to the development of a vaccine for human papillomavirus. — Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, "Dr. Keerti Shah, Johns Hopkins scientist who helped create a cervical cancer vaccine, dies," 27 July 2019 Only 39 percent of children between the ages of 13 and 17 in Texas have received the human papillomavirus, or HPV, shot, according to the American Cancer Society. — Laura Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Texas ranks near bottom for children vaccinated against HPV," 13 Aug. 2019 Two vaccines have also shown themselves to be effective in preventing cancer: the human papillomavirus (or HPV) vaccine, which can prevent cervical cancer, and the Hepatitis B vaccine, which can help prevent liver cancer. — CNN, "These dogs are getting a cancer vaccine. If it works, humans could be next," 21 June 2019 Federal health officials from the Center for Disease Control report that nearly half of American men and women under 60 are infected with the human papillomavirus, or HPV, putting them at risk for certain cancers. — Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, "Marcia Cross 'grateful to be alive' for daughters' graduation after anal cancer battle," 9 June 2019 In the same period, vaccination rates for hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), and measles also modestly increased. — Alex Whiting, Quartz, "How France is convincing its citizens to get vaccinated," 26 June 2019 In the same period, vaccination rates for hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV) and measles also modestly increased. — Alex Whiting, CNN, "How France is persuading its citizens to get vaccinated," 3 July 2019 The vaccine, which is 100 percent effective against certain strains of the human papillomavirus, is a no-brainer. — Leila Mcneill, Smithsonian, "The Woman Who Revealed the Missing Link Between Viruses and Cancer," 17 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'human papillomavirus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about human papillomavirus

Dictionary Entries near human papillomavirus

Statistics for human papillomavirus

Last Updated

31 Aug 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for human papillomavirus

The first known use of human papillomavirus was in 1952

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for human papillomavirus

human papillomavirus

noun

Medical Definition of human papillomavirus

: a double-stranded DNA virus of the genus Papillomavirus (species Human papillomavirus) that has numerous genotypes causing various human warts (as the common warts of the extremities, plantar warts, and genital warts) including some associated with the production of cervical cancer

— called also HPV