Ten Facts About Genital HPV

According to the CDC, HPV is so common that 50% of all sexually active men and women get it at some time in their lives. Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with the virus. At any one time, one percent of sexually active adults in the U.S. have genital warts. Each year, about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer; 37,000 women get vulvar cancer; 1,000 women are diagnosed with vaginal cancer and 1,000 men get penile cancer. Annually, 2,700 women and 1,700 men are diagnosed with anal cancer. Though HPV is associated with some head and neck cancers, of the 2,300 women and 9,000 men who are diagnosed each year, most cases are related to smoking and heavy drinking.