What it means
A common sexually transmitted infection. The warts may be flat or raised, single or in clusters, and are spread by skin-to-skin sexual contact. The HPV types that cause most genital warts are not the same ones that cause most cervical cancers. Warts can be removed, but the virus may stay in the body. The HPV vaccine protects against the main wart-causing types.
For the nurse
Teach condom use (which lowers but does not remove the risk, since skin outside the condom can carry the virus) and HPV vaccination for young people.
At a glance
| Spanish | verruga genital |
|---|---|
| Also written | genital warts |
Related terms
vaccine
A product that trains the immune system to protect the body against a specific disease.
sexually transmitted infection
An infection passed from one person to another mainly through sexual contact.