How Do You Get Warts?

You get warts by being infected with the human papilloma virus or HPV. A wart is actually a non-cancerous growth caused by an infection of this type of virus.

There are many strains of the human papilloma virus. Some of these types cause warts. This virus is contagious and it can enter into your body usually through small cuts or scratches on your skin.

Here are the ways how you can get infected with HPV:

• Direct contact a person who has warts 

• Direct contact a person who is a carrier of the virus 

• Using an object that has been touched by a person who carries the virus

• Sexual activity 

Direct contact with the wart of another person may transfer the virus to your body. This is more frequent in children and adolescents than in adults. For example, while children are playing contact sports, they inadvertently touch the warts of other people.

Take note that an individual may have the virus even if no type of visible growth has developed. This is because the virus does not always develop into a wart. So, an individual may transmit the virus without having developed any growth himself. However, the individual who has been contaminated may develop the wart.

Some strains of HPV are responsible for genital warts, a sexually transmitted disease.

Viruses can remain dormant for several months or even years when they are outside the body. They may start to multiply and increase their activity once they are inside the human body. 

So, be careful when frequenting places that may harbor the virus. The human papilloma virus can be found in moist and warm places. It may lie on the floors of swimming pools, showers, gyms, bathrooms, and locker rooms. Walking barefoot in these places increases the chances that you can get the virus through a small cut or scratch in your feet or other parts of your body.

If you are contaminated with the virus, then you can contaminate the other areas of your body as well. This occurs by scratching your wart and touching other areas of your body.