An estimated 5.5 million people become infected with HPV each year in
the United States, and an estimated 20 million Americans are currently infected
(Cates, 1999).
An estimated 75 percent of the reproductive-age population has been infected
with sexually transmitted HPV (Koutsky, 1997).
An estimated 15 percent of Americans ages 15 to 49 are currently infected
(Koutsky, 1997).
Studies repeatedly show high levels of HPV infection in women, with the
highest levels among young women.
A recent U.S. study among female college students found that an average
of 14 percent became infected with genital HPV each year. About 43
percent of the women in the study were infected with HPV during the
three-year study period (Ho, 1998).
Typical prevalence of HPV for women under the age of 25 is between 28
and 46 percent (Burk, 1996; Bauer, 1991).
Although less data are available on HPV among men, levels of current
infection in men appear to be similar to those in women (DSTDP HPV
Report, CDC, 1999).
HPV may be an even greater problem for HIV-positive men and women. HIV-positive
individuals have a higher prevalence of HPV infection and precancerous
lesions on the cervix and anus than HIV-negative individuals. Co-infection
with HIV and HPV is most likely due to shared risk behaviors for
both diseases, as well as an increased susceptibility to HPV because of
a compromised immune system.
A San Francisco study of gay and bisexual men found that 60 percent of
HIV-negative men had HPV, with almost universal HPV infection among HIV-positive
individuals with severely compromised immune systems (Palefsky, unpublished
data).
Similarly, a six-city study among high risk and HIV-infected women found that
26 per-cent of HIV-negative women were infected with HPV, but 70 percent of
HIV-positive women with severely comprised immune systems were infected with
HPV (Palefsky, 1998).
Genital Warts
Research indicates that approximately one per-cent of sexually active adults
in the United States have genital warts. These estimates are based on select
studies demonstrating levels of infection ranging from 1.5 percent among
female college students treated in student health centers to 13 percent
in some STD clinics (Koutsky, 1997).
