How Does One Catch It?
HPV is transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact. A regular wart on the skin may result from casual contact, but genital warts are generally acquired during sexual activities.
Alert
It is crucial to understand that protected sexual intercourse (that is, using condoms or other barrier methods) does not prevent the HPV infection. Direct skin-to-skin contact anywhere on the body allows transmission of this virus.
An infected person may have no visible wart on the skin or the genital area to remain contagious. Just because your sexual partner does not have any warts does not mean that he cannot transmit genital warts to you.
A mother infected with genital warts can pass the infection to her newly born baby during labor and delivery. This condition can result in one of the most devastating conditions in children. Babies who catch the virus at birth develop warts in their throats, which require surgical removal every few weeks for more than a decade. Some children end up having more than fifty operations for this condition before the age of ten. If you have a history of genital warts and become pregnant, your baby may end up paying the price for the infection.
