These behaviors can easily lead to HPV infection.
1. Using saunas, swimming, and soaking in hot springs.
In 2022, Liu Yanchun, chief physician of the Dermatology and Venereology Department at Beijing DiTan Hospital, shared a case she encountered in the People’s Daily Health account: a female patient tested positive for HPV type 16 at the hospital. She was very surprised, as her company’s physical examination the previous year showed no issues, and she hadn’t had sexual activity in the past year; she only frequently went swimming and soaked in a hot spring during that year.
Could swimming and soaking in hot springs also lead to HPV infection? Liu Yanchun stated that environmental pollution cannot be ruled out as a factor for women’s HPV infection.
While sexual activity is an important route for HPV infection, the virus tends to thrive on skin mucosa. Many people now frequent public places like saunas, swimming pools, and hot springs. If these places are not thoroughly disinfected, infections can occur, especially when using shared items.
Health Times archive image.
2. Frequently being barefoot and having sweaty feet.
According to a report by the Urban Express in 2022, a 10-year-old patient named Xiao Jun (a pseudonym) was treated at the Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. His soles were covered with numerous small bumps, roughly the size of soybeans, with a few darkened on the surface, with more than ten on each foot.
Upon diagnosis, the small bumps on Xiao Jun’s feet were identified as plantar warts, commonly referred to as “warts.” This is a common foot condition primarily caused by HPV infection, which can spread through tiny skin abrasions, leading to more outbreaks.
Ruo Hongbin, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department at Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, stated that patients like Xiao Jun are not uncommon. Most are around ten years old; some contracted plantar warts from practicing taekwondo barefoot during summer vacation or from dance classes. Additionally, teenagers who play basketball often experience sweaty feet, leading to the development of numerous plantar warts on their soles.
Most patients with plantar warts share a common characteristic: they like to go barefoot and have sweaty feet. Therefore, the number of such patients tends to increase during summer months, primarily among young people.
3. Infection through contact with family members’ items.
In households, if an infected person does not properly handle their underwear, towels, etc., it can lead to infection in those who come into contact with the items.
Doctor Liu Yanchun noted that in outpatient cases, there have been instances where a mother’s infection led to her three or four-year-old child contracting HPV. Some infected individuals have no symptoms after being infected and do not seek treatment, leading to environmental contamination.
To prevent HPV infection, the following points should be emphasized:
HPV is classified into low-risk and high-risk types. Low-risk HPV infections can cause benign skin growths, known as “warts,” or inflammation; high-risk infections can lead to abnormal cell proliferation on the cervix if persistent, resulting in cervical cancer and other genital cancers when uncontrolled.
1. Take scientific safety measures.
The use of condoms is crucial in preventing HPV infection and even HIV infection. Additionally, having a consistent sexual partner is also important.
2. Regularly disinfect underwear.
Both women’s and men’s underwear should be thoroughly disinfected, preferably using hot water, as HPV is heat-sensitive but cold-resistant. After disinfection, underwear should be dried in sunlight.
Moreover, it is not advised for women to wear tight, non-breathable underwear; maintaining cleanliness and dryness in the intimate area is also an important method of preventing viral infections.
