Warts are as maligned and a part of old wives tales and fairy stories as much as they’re a part of regular medical discussion. Warts are the result of being infected by the human papilloma virus or HPV. A wart is a non-cancerous growth caused by an infection by this type of virus and contrary to popular but entirely false belief, they are not the result of handling frogs or toads (which do not actually have the human virus). There are different strains of the human papilloma virus resulting in several different types of warts which vary in size, shape and location on the body. Warts can be found on the face, hands, feet, legs and genital areas for example and can also be spread by different means. This virus is contagious and it can gain access to the body via small cuts or scratches in the skin as well as other ways outlined below.

• Direct contact with a wart of another person (such as during contact sports).

• Direct contact with a carrier of the virus (shaking hands).

• Sexual activity - This is the primary means of spreading genital warts.

• Regularly visiting places where the HPV is usual.

Not everyone who has HPV develops warts, and like other viruses it is possible to be a carrier of the disease and not actually know it. This is perhaps one reason why warts are so common since the virus can spread undetected from person to person and depending on the individual ability of each host to fight the infection presents itself as warts.One reason why warts are particularly common among kids is due to the fact that their immune systems are not yet fully developed. The human papilloma virus likes to live in moist, warm places. Apart from living in the human body it can be found around swimming pools, in bathrooms, showers and public change rooms. It makes sense to avoid walking bare footed in these places and have some form of footwear such as sandals when showering to minimize the possibility of transmission.

If a person is infected and develops warts it is important to reduce the danger of spreading the infection by covering the wart and not scratching it since it is simple for the virus to enter other scratches on the skin resulting in new warts in other locations on the body. Children in particular have a tendency to scratch and pick at their warts and this is one reason why they’re so easily spread.