Read condition-specific symptoms and clinical context for Human papillomaviruses. A very common group of viruses; a few types can lead to cancers.
WHO describes human papillomavirus as a group of about 200 known viruses that usually cause no concern, spread by intimate skin-to-skin contact and often clearing on their own. CDC states most infections, about 9 out of 10, go away by themselves within 2 years. Persistent infection with high-risk types is the cause of cervical cancer and is associated with several other cancers.
WHO states that almost all sexually active people will be infected at some point, usually without symptoms. CDC states that most HPV infections go away by themselves within 2 years.
No symptom list is shown for HPV infection itself. WHO states that infection is usually symptom-free and that in 90% of people the body controls it without treatment. CDC's Pink Book records that low-risk types such as 6 and 11 cause more than 90% of anogenital warts and can cause respiratory tract papillomas, while high-risk types can cause cell changes that are found by screening rather than felt as symptoms.
Because infection is usually silent, HPV-related cell changes are found through screening rather than symptoms. WHO notes cervical cancer is currently the only HPV-caused cancer with screening tests available.
CDC describes cancers that can follow when an HPV infection lasts rather than clearing. These develop years later and are not a symptom of recent infection.
CDC lists cancers of the cervix, vagina and vulva, penis, anus and the back of the throat including the base of the tongue and tonsils, and states that HPV causes about 36,000 cancer cases each year in the United States. WHO reports an estimated 620,000 cancer cases in women and 70,000 in men caused by HPV in 2019. These are cancers with their own symptoms and diagnosis; they are not listed here as symptoms of HPV infection.
Cancer symptoms, screening and diagnosis belong with a clinician. WHO states that HPV vaccination prevents these cancers and that screening and treatment of pre-cancer lesions is an effective way to prevent cervical cancer.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.