The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can be extremely contagious,
or can be very difficult to contract, depending on
the type of the virus that you have. HPV, also known
as the wart
virus, is responsible for any type of art on the
body. There are therefore many different strains of
the virus.
The different strains
Some strains are responsible for plantar warts (under the feet). These strains of HPV are extremely contagious, due to the location of the warts which manifest as a result of the person being infected by the virus. Having plantar warts under the feet means that the virus can easily spread in areas such as gym showers, swimming pools and any warm, moist environment where the warts will be in contact with the ground that other people will be walking on. The virus thrives in these sort of environments.
Other HPV strains are responsible for genital warts and these strains are the most contagious. They are easily passed from person to person during sexual intercourse and other sexual acts such as oral sex and anal sex. Genital warts can reside inside the vagina, urethra and anus and may not be visible. A person may not realise that they have HPV or warts and easily pass the virus on to other people through sexual activities.
Do you have to have warts to infect others with the HPV virus?
Having the HPV virus inside your body, does not necessarily
mean that warts will manifest on your body. Many people
are 'carriers' of the virus and may not have any visible
warts. The virus will reside in their body and can
actually be passed on to other people without the
person coming into contact with any warts. The easiest
and most common way for this to occur is during sexual
intercourse.
HPV can reside in the body for months, even years and may not ever manifest as actual warts. This makes the virus one of the fastest spreading viruses on the planet.
Are there other ways for the virus to spread?
Some infants, who's mothers had genital warts or HPV
can develop warts in their throats. This is very uncommon,
but can be a potentially life threatening condition
and may even obstruct breathing in some instances.
Conclusion
HPV is extremely contagious and it is recommended that if you become aware of any type of wart on your body, that you seek treatment immediately, to avoid the spreading of HPV.
