Genital warts are very common. Health experts states that more than a million new cases of genital warts are diagnosed in the United States every year. Unfortunately, the number continues to increase. Based on the most recent health surveys, the prevalence of genital warts among citizens in the United States have increased twice faster than the prevalence rate of genital herpes in the past ten years.
However, not everyone who has the infection manifests symptoms. In fact, only one percent of the HPV infected population develops visible signs and symptoms. That is why you may actually have genital warts but not know about it.What causes Genital Warts?
Genital Warts are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). This refers to a group of viruses comprised of more than eighty types. All of these types can cause wounds, lesions, sores, and warts. The most common of these types are Type 6, Type 11, Type 16, and Type 18. Type 6 and 11 are considered as the low-risk HPV types because they are more associated with skin lesions and sores. In contrast, Types 16 and 18 are classified as high risk types since they can cause abnormal cell growth (neoplasia or dysplasia). Such cell malfunction can cause cancers of the cervix or the anus.How are warts passed on?
Although genital warts are very common, there are ways in avoiding victimization by this plague. To ensure your safety from genital warts, you should be aware of how the HPV virus spreads.a. The HPV virus can easily be transmitted from one person to another by having sexual intercourse. A person who is sexually active is also highly at risk for genital warts. Regardless of gender and your age, this group is very vulnerable to the infection.b. The HPV virus can spread not only through actual sexual intercourse. If a person has genital warts and you share the same sex toys, the virus will be transmitted just the same.c. You don’t need to have penetrative sex to get genital warts. The virus can be easily transmitted through skin to skin contact. Close genital contact can spread the virus.d. If you are having sexual intercourse with a person with genital warts, you can still get the HPV virus even if you are using a condom. This is because condoms do not cover the entire part of the genital area. As such, you are still highly at risk from transmission through skin to skin contact.e. The absence of genital warts in a person with HPV virus should not be regarded as an indication that HPV transmission is improbable. Keep it mind that even though genital warts are not visibly present, you can still get the HPV virus.f. If you have oral sex with a person that has genital warts or a person with the HPV virus, you can develop warts in your lips or in your mouth.g. If genital warts develop in your genital area, it is highly probable for you to develop warts around your anal area even without anal sex.h. If no lesions or sores are present from a person infected with the HPV virus, it will not be transmitted through kissing, hugging, sharing towels and utensils, bathing in the same pool, and using the same toilet.

Here are seven established facts about genital warts.1. Genital warts are highly contagious.
Genital warts spread easily from one person to another through sexual intercourse. Human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for genital warts, is able to penetrate one’s skin and mucosal surfaces through the tiny abrasions in the genital area that develop during sexual intercourse.2. Genital warts are incurable.
Once you catch HPV, you can never eliminate it from your body. You can treat it and remove the genital warts, but it remains dormant in your system. Thus, genital warts can show up again.3. Genital warts may resurface.
HPV can lie dormant in your body. It can resurface when triggered by risk factors like smoking, stress, excessive consumption of alcohol, immune system deficiencies, and lifestyle changes, among others. In fact, a lot of people are not aware that they have HPV in their system. Many men do have genital warts on their penis and remain unaware of their presence since they may be very tiny and hidden. A lot of women also have genital warts but remain oblivious because they occur internally in many cases. Only 10 percent of genital warts are noticeable.4. Genital warts can be treated and get rid of.
There are different therapy options for genital warts removal depending on their size and location. If you consult your doctor, he or she may advise you to apply a topical medication or undergo electrocautery (burning), cryosurgery (freezing), or laser treatment. Some people also attest to the efficacy of herbal preparation in getting rid of genital warts.5. Genital warts cannot spread from your genitals to other parts of your body and vice versa.
There are at least 150 types of HPV. The strains that are responsible for genital warts occur only in the genital region. They spread through direct contact with the skin of an infected partner through vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse. Infection may happen through contact with a visible genital wart or through subclinical infection, meaning contact with an area of the skin with no visible genital wart. Following sexual intercourse with an infected person, genital warts may take a few weeks to several years to manifest.6. You can do something to prevent further development of genital warts.
Many studies have proven that having a healthy immune system helps a lot in preventing the outbreak of genital warts. For those who have had genital warts, physicians require specific supplements that boost the immune system like selenium, green tea extract, bioflavins, and grape seed extract.7. Genital warts may cause cervical cancer.
Approximately 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer are caused by types 16 and 18 of HPV. HPV causes the outer layer of normal cells of the cervical transformation zone (TZ) to be replaced by cancer cells. Such a change is only detected in the early stages through a Pap smear. In fact, 90 percent of deaths arising from cervical cancer could have been prevented through early detection. Hence, it is imperative that all women who are sexually active have regular Pap smears.