How common is HPV infection?
It is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world, with probably more cases of genital HPV infection than of any other STD in the United States. About 50% to 75% of sexually active men and women contract genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. About 5.5 million Americans get a new HPV infection each year, making HPV the most commonly acquired STD. For more information, visit the CDC’s Division of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
• Genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. • Three out of four people who have sex get genital HPV infection at some time in their life. How does someone know if he or she has an HPV infection? • Most people with an HPV infection have no symptoms. • Young women with genital HPV infection can have an abnormal pap test. • Young women can have warts on the vulva (the outside area where your female organs are located), vagina, the cervix (opening of the uterus), and anus (the opening where bowel movements leave your body). • Genital warts often look like flesh-colored or whitish bumps. They can be raised or flat, small or large, single or multiple. • Rarely in some people with warts, HPV infections cause itching, pain or a vaginal discharge. • Men can have warts on the penis, scrotum (the sack where the testicles are located), genital area or anus. How does a person get a genital HPV infection? • Most genital HPV infections are sexually transmitte
HPV infection is now considered to be the most common sexually-transmitted infection (sexually transmitted disease, STD) in the U.S., and it is believed that at least 75% of the reproductive-age population has been infected with sexually-transmitted HPV at some point in life. It is believed that over 6 million people become infected with HPV every year in the US, and approximately 50% of those infected are between the ages of 15 and 25. HPV infection is common and does not usually lead to the development of warts, cancers, or even symptoms. In fact, the majority of people infected with HPV have no symptoms or lesions at all. Determination of whether or not a person is infected with HPV involves tests that identify the genetic material (DNA) of the virus. Furthermore, it has not been definitely established whether the immune system is able to permanently clear the body of an HPV infection. In many cases, a person will test positive for HPV infection and then have negative HPV tests for
