Babies with HPV will naturally clear the virus within a few months

A reassuring new study shows that newborns who contract human papillomavirus (HPV) during pregnancy or delivery will naturally eliminate the virus in just a few months.

Canadian studies have brought welcome news to expectant mothers diagnosed with HPV, suggesting that the virus persists with long-term long-term risks in reproductive age adults.

The findings were published this week in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, a comprehensive five-year study led by freelance epidemiologist Helen Trottier, at the School of Public Health at Recherche Azrieli du Chu Sainte-Justine and Montréal University. The study tracked babies born to HPV-positive mothers and found surprisingly rapid virus clearance rates.

Eliminate the virus quickly and completely

The study shows that babies with HPV during pregnancy or birth take less than four months to eliminate the virus without medical intervention. Even more encouraging, the researchers found that all babies in the study had no HPV for 24 months.

“The data are encouraging,” said Eméra Alice Bénard, a student at the University of Montreal and first author of the study. “We now know that it is very unlikely that mothers can spread the virus to babies during pregnancy or delivery. Even if transmission occurs, the risk of a serious or persistent form of the virus in infants is very low.”

Transmissions are less common than expected

The legacy (the risk of perinatal transmission of human papillomavirus and HPV persistence) was studied after 422 HPV-positive pregnant women who received care at three Montreal hospitals. The research team monitored 200 newborns for two years and followed up 75 more years for five years.

The results of the study show that HPV transmission from mother to infant is only 7.3% likely when considering all potential transmission sites. This relatively low transmission rate coincides with previous research estimates, but provides more detailed insights due to the comprehensive monitoring method of the study.

Among the infants contracted for HPV, the vast majority showed complete viral clearance within a few months, with few viral persistence or recurrence cases. Only one infant in the study showed persistent infection (the same virus was detected on two visits), and only two viruses showed a sense of recurrence (the virus disappeared and then reappeared).

Impact on parents and health care

These findings offer some important gains for prospective parents and healthcare providers:

• The transmission from mother to baby is relatively rare (7.3% of cases)
• When transmission occurs, babies will naturally eliminate the virus on average within about 3.9 months.
• The risk of persistent or repeated infection in infants is extremely low (approximately 2-4%)
• All babies in the study cleared the 24-month-old virus
• During the extended 3-5-year follow-up period, no HPV was detected in children

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world and is considered the main cause of cervical cancer in addition to explaining about one-third of head and neck cancers. Several studies also linked HPV infection to an increased risk of birth.

This study should assure HPV-positive pregnant women that they may be concerned about the potential consequences for the baby. The natural immune response of infants in infants seems to handle the virus very effectively.

How transmission happens

While the study focused primarily on vertical transmission (from mother to baby at pregnancy or delivery), the researchers also found new cases of HPV infection in babies who did not get infected at birth.

“This may be transmitted after birth, or it may be transmitted from the father or someone else through a bath or a diaper change,” Trottier explained.

However, these newly acquired infections follow the same pattern as those obtained at birth – in a similar time frame, the child’s immune system actually eliminates all patterns. By the age of 2, all children in all study cleared the virus.

Vaccination remains vital

Although it is encouraging about the ability of babies to naturally remove viruses, researchers stress that HPV vaccination remains critical to preventing complications in adults.

“Vaccination is a very effective measure to prevent HPV,” Trottier said. “Even if the risk for babies is low, it must be done for themselves.”

The virus is particularly common in people of reproductive age, and although baby can easily remove it, adults can develop persistent infections that can lead to various cancers and other health complications.

Canadian studies are part of a growing body of evidence that can help us understand the natural history of HPV at different ages. Although adults often have difficulty clearing persistent HPV infections, the study shows that infants’ immune systems are very effective in eliminating the virus before they can establish a foothold.

These findings provide positive explanations in HPV studies, suggesting that even if HPV testing becomes increasingly common in prenatal care, positive results do not necessarily cause unnecessary anxiety about infant health. The infant’s immune system appears to be able to cope with this particular challenge, regardless of the impact of the virus on adults.