Is Human Papiloma Virus contagious to my baby during birth?
Can I give HPV to my baby at birth? Vertical transmission, as it’s called, is possible, but not common. Babies can develop warts in their throat from HPV types 6 and 11, which are the most common wart-causing HPV strains. According to the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, if a woman has not had any HPV symptoms in six months or longer, transmission to the baby is less and less likely (Medical FAQs on the Natural History of HPV par. 9). ASCCP also adds that the estimated risk of the child developing laryngeal papillomatosis, or Recurring Respiratory Papillomatosis (as it is called), varies from 1/40 to 1/2000 children delivered to an infected woman, and that a c-section is not recommended solely because of the presence of genital warts (Medical FAQs about Treatment of HPV par. 34; see also ASHA’s Genital Warts: Questions and Answers par. 9). Apparently mothers do spread HPV to their babies more often than this. According to Dr. Palefsky, “Several studies show that
