How Someone Gets Genital Warts - Information on Human Papillomavirus

1. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States

Currently, more than 20 million people are infected with HPV. Each year, more than 6.2 million new infections occur in the U.S.

2. Most sexually active people have at least one strain of HPV

It's safe to say that if you have had sex with more than one person OR your partner has had sex with more than one person, you have been exposed to HPV. More than 50 percent of sexually active people are infected with itat some point in their lives; some studies suggest that more than 80 percent of women will have HPV by age 50.

3. There are more than 100 different strains of HPV; most do not cause cancer

The different strains are divided into high-risk (cancer-causing potential) and low-risk. Two of the high-risk strains (Type 16 and 18) account for 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer. Two other strains (Type 6 and 11) account for 90 percent of genital warts cases. How Someone Gets Genital Warts - Information on Human Papillomavirus.