How Do I Get HPV?

Introduction

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common infection that can cause genital warts, cervical cancer and other types of cancers such as penile or anal cancers. According to the Mayo Clinic, approximately 20 million Americans are infected with one of the 100 strains of HPV. Another 6.2 million Americans become infected with HPV each year.

Sexual

The main way in which HPV is spread is through sexual contact. HPV can be spread through both homosexual and heterosexual relationships. HPV can be spread through any physical touch with an area that is currently experiencing an outbreak on the skin, which makes oral, anal and vaginal sex prone to spreading infection.

Skin Contact

Some forms of HPV do not necessarily need sexual contact to spread. HPV can easily gain access to the body through cuts or other lesions on the body. When infected skin comes into contact with these skin openings, the virus is able to spread to the new host and multiply.

Mother to Baby

In some cases, HPV can be transmitted from mother to baby. This usually occurs during the birth process when the baby comes into direct contact with the mother's blood. Signs of infection on the baby can be seen on the genitals, or in some cases an upper respiratory infection of the disease.

Infection

Just because an infected individual is not showing current signs of infection (such as genital warts) does not mean the virus can't still be spread. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, many individuals pass on the virus through sexual contact without even knowing that they are infected with the virus.

References

• Center for Disease Control
• Mayo Clinic
• Understanding Genetics: HPV and cancer