Is HPV transmittable through other ways other than sexual contact?

[6179]

I recently took my 10 year old son to the doctor for his yearly exam. They recommended giving him the HPV vaccine. I told the nurse I'd decline at this time. When the doctor came in, he asked why I refused the vaccine. I said " My son is 10! He won't be sexually active for a while! Plus, I haven't done enough research on the risks of it yet. So no, he's not getting it right now." He went on to tell me that people have a lot of misconceptions about HPV and as an example said "if you're at a restaurant, the cook goes to the bathroom, doesn't wash his hands, handles your food, you eat that food with your unwashed hands...you CAN contract HPV and develope warts in your throat and possibly even cancer." I found this VERY hard to believe, and told him so. He said he had an 11 year old patient, that was not sexually active, and had developed warts in his throat and had to have numerous surgeries from contracting it in a similar way. He also said you can get it from a doorknob, just like the germs of the common cold!

IS THIS TRUE!?!?! If that's the case, then why can't you be vaccinated over the age of 26....if it's THAT contagious? I asked him that and he pretty much spoke in circles.

Can any healthcare professionals please answer this for me? I have found NO research to back this up and to my knowledge, HPV is ONLY transmittable through sexual intercourse (of one kind or another).

[Joltmann07]

Im not a healthcare professional but ill give you my 2 cents.

The doc is full of it if he thinks that IMO.

As for the vaccination, do it. The reason it is only recomended to people under 26 is beacuse the FDA only tested on those ages. So if you want the vaccine and you're over 26 your insurance wont cover it because it isnt FDA approved for your age. That doesnt mean you cant and shouldnt get the vaccine, you will have to pay out of pocket. I've done some research and the reason the FDA didnt test people over 26 is beacause they assume that most peolpe at that age already have the virus in them, like me....