Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
HPV is a very common infection, and is characterised by a soft wart-like growth on the genitalia of either gender (eg penis, vulva, anus).
Four out of five people will have a strain of this virus some time in their life, most will not know they have it, and it will be dealt with by the body's immune system.
There are many different types of HPV, and over 40 types can infect the genital mucosa, but only 15 strains may, ultimately, cause cervical cancer.
The genital strains of HPV are sexually tranmitted (oral, anal, vaginal), and can, also, cause genital warts.
Page last up-dated Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:14:58