HPV is a major viral pathogen, as discussed, causing more diseases than just cervical cancer. Much work has been done identifying these viruses as the most common sexually transmitted disease. Here, we educate that HPVs are very stable viruses, able to survive on fomites and surfaces for days.
Typically, the HPV types that cause genital warts survive just two to three hours outside the human body, he said, adding that if the virus is in a warm and humid environment, it can survive more than a day. If someone then makes skin contact with a contaminated surface, they could be infected, he said.
HPV and Fomite Transmission
Overall, most transmission is from person to person during physical contact, so the risk of being infected by HPV from a virus living on a surface is relatively small. Fomites such as wet towels are thought to be responsible for some cases of HPV in children.
HPV is sensitive to some chemical disinfectants, including hypochlorites and formulas containing peracetic acid and silver. Additionally, automatic machines using sonicated hydrogen peroxide are especially effective against HPV-16 and HPV-18, two high-risk strains of HPV.
There is no treatment for genital HPV itself. Most of the time, though, your body fights off the virus on its own. There are treatments for the health problems that genital HPV can cause, like genital warts, cervical changes, and cervical cancer.
While there is no cure for a HPV infection, there are a number of methods available to treat its symptoms, which include: Topical treatments – prescribed creams and liquid solutions such as Warticon and Condyline contain podophyllotoxin, which is a plant extract that has antiviral properties.
Wash your hands often.
Because HPV is so common, this helps to remove the virus from your skin.
HPV infection can be detected on inanimate objects, such as clothing or environmental surfaces. However, transmission is not known to occur by this route.
Remember: You can get or give warts even when both of you have no signs or symptoms. HPV cannot be spread by touching hard surfaces, like a doorknob or toilet seat. It also cannot be passed by sharing clothes or towels.
Since this foot condition can be spread through contact due to HPV, there is a possibility that warts can be spread through an infected person's contact with bed sheets.
This is also the reason why the HPV virus is so contagious through casual contact. If it leaves the host body, the HPV virus will die if the outside temperature exceeds 60 degrees Celsius.
Some strains of HPV are acquired through sexual contact. Most forms, however, are spread by casual contact or indirectly through shared objects, such as towels or washcloths.
Mucosal (genital) HPV types
The other HPV types are considered mucosal types because they invade and live in cells on mucosal surfaces.
Clinicians can reassure their patients that HPV transmission is unlikely to occur through hand-to-genital contact. The majority of genital HPV infections are likely caused by genital-to-genital sexual transmission.
Yes. Although most infections occur following intercourse, HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. Even more rarely, a mom can transmit the virus to her baby during birth.
HPV is very resistant to heat and dryness; nonsexual transmission through fomites can occur, such as during prolonged exposure to shared contaminated clothing. Pregnant women can pass HPV onto their babies during birth, although this is not common.
Are warts contagious? Warts aren't considered very contagious, but they can be caught by close skin-to-skin contact. The infection can also be transmitted indirectly from contaminated objects or surfaces, such as the area surrounding a swimming pool. You are more likely to get infected if your skin is wet or damaged.
HPV cannot pass through barriers – including condoms, insertive condoms, dental dams, and latex or nitrile gloves – but since HPV spreads by skin-to-skin contact, you can still get HPV on areas of skin that are not covered by a barrier.
Home remedies — such as salicylic acid, cryotherapy, and apple cider vinegar — may help remove warts, skin lesions that stem from the human papillomavirus (HPV). In children and adolescents, most warts will clear up on their own within 1–2 years .
While HPV doesn't come back after clearing completely, it's difficult to know if an infection has actually been resolved or is simply dormant. Additionally, while you're unlikely to be reinfected with the exact same type of HPV, you can be infected with another strain.
The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that causes the wart can live on carpets and hard surfaces as well in damp, warm environments like public pools and showers, so it is hard to avoid. The virus is not extremely contagious, but people vary widely in their ability to fight it off.
Genital warts can be both external or internal. External genital warts appear on people of all genders, such as on the vulva, labia, pubis, glans clitoris, entrance to the urethra, perineum (the area between the genitals and the anus), penis, scrotum, and around the entrance to the anus (7,8,14).