HPV (short for human papillomavirus) is a virus that could affect your son or daughter. There are about 30-40 types of HPV that can infect the genital area. And, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 6 million new genital HPV disease cases in the United States each year. An estimated 74% of them occur in 15- to 24-year-olds. That's about 12,000 teens and young adults each day.

For most, HPV clears on its own. But, for others who don't clear certain types, HPV could cause significant consequences: cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers in females. Other types could cause genital warts in both males and females. And there's no way to predict who will or won't clear the virus.

DID YOU KNOW? HPV often has no visible signs or symptoms,
so many people who have HPV don't even know it.