What is HPV and Genital Warts

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common cause of sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is estimated that cases of genital HPV infection are prevalent than other STI in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are close to 6.2 million new cases of HPV infections reported each year and 20 million people in the country already have this infection.

HPV has 40 types of its kind and mostly infects the genital areas of men and women. HPV is invisible and people who are infected with HPV don’t even know they have it.
Certain kinds of HPV could cause genital warts in men and women. Other types might cause cervical cancer and cancers of the vulva, vagina, anus, and penis. The kinds of HPV that might cause genital warts are not of the same types that cause cancer.
HPV types are categorized as wart-causing which is low risk or cancer-causing  which is high-risk, based on if the person is at risk for cancer. Most of the time, our immune system fights the HPV infection naturally and clears it within two years.
Genital warts usually show up as small bumps or groups of bumps, around the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, and at time cauliflower shaped. Warts may show up within weeks or months after the person was in contact with an infected person. Sometimes genital warts may disappear and remain dormant.
Cervical cancer may not carry any symptoms until it is in advanced stage. It is for this reason that women must get pap smear checkup regularly for cervical cancer.