What are genital warts? – These are rashes or small bumps that form or grow in or around the genitals and anus. They are a type of sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).
Genital warts affect both male and female genital / anal region and other specific areas of the body such as:
Sexual exposure (either male or female at any age) is the main risk factor for genital warts. However, genital warts may also be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, especially if there is an open wound on the skin. Certain factors increase the risk of an individual having genital warts. These include:
Genital warts are caused by human papillomavirus infection (HPV 6 and HPV 11), which is mainly sexually transmitted.
Genital warts are contagious because the virus that causes them is transmissible from person to person through:
No. Some people may be infected with HPV without developing genital warts but may pass the virus on to their sexual partners who may then go on to develop genital warts.
It is not easy to know the source of infection with HPV that causes genital warts since some persons harbour the virus without developing the lesion. However, developing genital warts after having sexual contact with someone who has obvious lesions may suggest the source of the infection.
It may take up to 6 weeks to 6 months for genital warts to develop after HPV infection. Therefore, infected person, who later manifests the disease, may have spread the infection to other sexual contacts before developing obvious lesions.
Genital warts may present as:
Genital warts may, sometimes, not need treatment. This is because the body’s immune system may be able to fight the causative agent (HPV) and restrict their activities. With time, the lesions regress. For those that persist, they may become larger and spread to other areas around the perineum to cause mild to moderate discomfort.
Such individuals will require some form of treatment. The treatment for warts is usually aimed at burning them off so as to interrupt their blood supply and stop their growth. The methods applied may be in form of:
No. the treatment for genital warts only takes care of the visible lesion while the HPV that causes the warts remains in the affected persons. The person may therefore re-infect another sexual partner if they engage in unprotected sexual intercourse
Genital warts can only be completely prevented by avoiding sexual or genital contacts. However, the risks can be reduced by doing the following: