infection

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States.  There are more than 150 types of HPV.  They are numbered HPV1, HPV2 etc.  Around 40 types infect the genital area of men and women and are spread by skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.  Genital HPV infection can occur even if you do not have sexual intercourse.  Like other STI’s, genital HPV infection often has no signs or symptoms.  The infected person can then unknowingly pass the infection on to others. HPV is a virus and causes infection by entering cells from skin-to-skin contact.  It then replicates itself and these copies infect other nearby cells causing them to become abnormal or damaged.  These infected cells then can lead to genital warts, precancer and cancer of the cervix, anus, vagina, vulva, penis, mouth, and throat.  There are “low risk” and “high risk” types of HPV.  Low-risk types cause genital warts and high-risk types are linked with causing cancer.  The immune system fights most low and high-risk types and clears them from the body over time.  Those that don’t clear can go on and lead to pre-cancer or cancer.  It