HPV Identification
HPV stands for human papillomavirus. There are a number of different strains of HPV (more than 100, according to emedtv), some of which can cause genital warts. In women, an HPV infection can lead to a condition known as cervical dysplasia, which can lead to cervical cancer. In men, serious health problems from HPV are rare. Most men infected with HPV display no symptoms, although, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 percent of infected men have genital warts. HPV infections can also cause penile and anal cancer, though these diseases are rare and affect one out of every 100,000 men.
HPV Transmission
HPV is typically spread by skin-to-skin contact from one infected individual to a noninfected person. It is also possible, in theory, for HPV to be transmitted by having something touch an infected person's skin and then for the same item to touch an uninfected person. It is not known, however, how often this occurs, or if it happens at all, because of the virus's difficulty in surviving outside the human body. It also is not known if it is possible for the disease to be transmitted from someone with very low levels of the virus in his body.
Sexual Transmission
The most common way for HPV to be transmitted is via sexual contact, as it is easily spread between sexual partners. Emedtv indicates that 50 percent of all men and women have had a genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. In men, genital HPV most commonly occurs as the result of genital or anal sex, though it can, on occasion, be spread via oral sex. It is also possible for HPV to be spread via nonpenetrative sex. In men, HPV infections are not limited to the penis and can include the scrotum, the anus, and the area between the anus and the genitals. Consequently, wearing a condom does not completely protect against HPV transmission because condoms do not block all skin-to-skin contact during sex.
