To stop any misinformation that may be about to spread (no pun intended):
Human papillomavirus (HPV) covers more than 100 different strains or types (causing any type of skin wart, in general - HELLO PLANTAR!!). Most people who become infected with HPV won't have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own (but not the virus).
So let's talk about the sex kind:
'More than 30 of these strains are sexually transmitted and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum.
Some of these viruses are called 'high-risk' types, and may cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, or penis. Others are called 'low-risk' types, and they may cause mild Pap test abnormalities or genital warts.
Approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year.'
So to sum up:
Ever had a wart? You have HPV!
Girl comes home with an abnormal pap smear? Get on her, to get frequent paps so that it doesn't develop into cancer or warts. And don't freak--you probably already have it, and you will never know who gave it to whom. It very, very rarely causes cancer in men; if you(male) ever find out, it'll be because you find a purty lil cauliflower on your cock (or sac or anus).
It doesn't cause any real health issues (just the social stigmata) unless it goes unmonitored. Just like most afflictions, you let it go, it kills you in the end; there is no reason to die from it except laziness.
Maybe now we should take about herpes?
