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Transmission
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HPV virus is spread by oral, anal or vaginal sex with someone who has the virus. Warts may appear a few weeks after contact or months or years later. |
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Protection
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Condoms may help protect you against HPV/genital warts. Have only one noninfected partner or no sex at all. If you think you have warts, let your partner know. |
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Symptons
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At first there may be no symptoms, which is why it is called a silent epidemic. |
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1-3 months after contact flat or cauliflower-like bumps may appear inside and outside genitals and/or rectum. May be tiny and almost invisible but spread rapidly. |
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May be painless, may cause irritation or itching. |
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Treatment
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Solution, gel, and ointment; frozen with liquid nitrogen; or removed with a laser, electric needle, or with an interferon-injectable treatment. Early treatment is a must to prevent the spread. |
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Warnings
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Women who have been infected with a form of HPV should get an annual pap smear to rule out cervical cancer. |
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Babies born to women with HPV are at danger of getting warts in their throats. |
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Once you test positive, health professionals must treat and monitor you closely. |
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Drugstore treatment for other kinds of warts may be harmful if used on genital warts. |
Genital warts, also known as condyloma acuminata, are the result of the viral infection Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). These warts appear on the penis, vulva, vagina, and cervix, in or around the anus or in the throat. This infection is rapidly increasing, especially among adolescents.
