What do you call a condition that’s widespread in humans and often symptom-free, yet can lead to cancer? Dangerous.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as one in four women are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), and the numbers are rising, especially among young women.

Some HPV types can cause genital warts. Other HPV types can cause cancer in the genital area. But most people who have HPV don’t know it, because the virus often has no signs or symptoms. Because of this, the virus can spread without any parties involved becoming aware of its transmission.

According to the CDC, about 20 million Americans are infected with HPV. Another 6.2 million Americans become infected each year. About 74 percent of new infections occur in 15- to 24-year-old men and women.
“It is very prevalent,” said Diana Gaviria, Health Officer for the Berkeley County (W.Va.) Health Department. “We see women from their mid-teens up through their 30s being diagnosed, and I’d say that most of them are women in their teens and 20s.”

The CDC predicts more than half of all sexually active men and women will become infected at some time in their lives. “HPV is such a common virus that anyone who is sexually active can come in contact with it and become infected,” Gaviria said.
According to CDC, HPV is only transmitted through sexual contact. However, intercourse is not necessary because it can be transmitted with any kind of genital contact with someone who has HPV. The virus is not found in bodily fluids.

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