Human papillomaviruses (HPV) establish productive infections either in keratinocytes of the skin (outermost layer of the skin, causing warts) or in mucous membranes, as in the case of HPV. HPV is the most frequent sexually transmitted disease in the world!

These viruses are responsible for common warts, plantar warts, flat warts and possibly the cause of many skin tags. More than 30 to 40 types of HPV are typically transmitted through sexual contact and infect the anal-genital region. Some sexually transmitted HPV types may cause genital warts. Persistent infection with "high-risk" HPV types — different from the ones that cause skin warts — may progress to precancerous lesions and invasive cancer. HPV infection is a cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer.

Over 120 HPV types have been identified and are referred to by number. Types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, and 59 are considered the "high-risk" sexually transmitted HPVs and may lead to the development of cancers and other diseases. Following is a list of various conditions/disease and their associated HPV.

• Common warts: 2, 7
• Plantar warts: 1, 2, 4, 63
• Flat warts: 3, 10
• Anal-genital warts: 6, 11, 42, 44 and others
• Genital cancers, Highest risk: 16, 18, 31, 45, Other high-risk: 33, 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, Possible high-risk: 26, 53, 66, 68, 73, 82
• Epidermodysplasia verruciformis: more than 15 types
• Focal epithelial hyperplasia (oral): 13, 32
• Oral papillomas: 6, 7, 11, 16, 32
• Oropharyngeal cancer: 16
• Laryngeal papillomatosis: 6,11

Although genital HPV types can be transmitted from mother to child during birth, the appearance of genital HPV-related diseases in newborns is rare. Perinatal transmission of HPV types 6 and 11 can result in the development of juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP). JORRP is very rare, with rates of about 2 cases per 100,000 children in the United States. Although JORRP rates are substantially higher if a woman presents with genital warts at the time of giving birth, the risk of JORRP in such cases is still less than 1%.

At least 40 identified HPV types infect the genital tract. If a college woman has at least one different partner per year for four years, the probability that she will leave college with an HPV infection is greater than 85%. Condoms do not completely protect from the virus because the areas around the genitals including the inner thigh area are not covered, thus exposing these areas to the infected person's skin.

Because HPV is considered a precursor for cancer, preventative surgery for HPV can cause infertility and is completely unnecessary, even though it is what modern medicine advocates.