Good hygiene can help against genital warts, doctor says

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter





A Taipei urologist says men can avoid getting genital warts, or “cauliflower” (菜花) — a Taiwanese euphemism for the disease — by maintaining good personal hygiene and practicing safe sex.

Shutien Clinic Department of Urology director Lin Ju-ting (林儒廷) said the number of people with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is increasing worldwide.

Clinic statistics show that between 2011 and last year, an average of 550 to 600 patients per year with genital warts received treatment.

Among the patients diagnosed with genital warts at the clinic, men aged between 30 and 40 were the most common.

Genital warts are caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV), with more than 130 types identified, Lin said, adding that more than 30 types of HPV can cause genital warts, but most commonly they are caused by HPV type 6 or type 11.

He said genital warts are typically transmitted through sexual contact. Having multiple sex partners or having unprotected sex can increase the likelihood of contracting the disease, because it is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact during vaginal, anal or oral sex with an infected partner.

Citing the case of a 16-year-old senior-high school student who was diagnosed with the disease, Lin said the boy had multiple sex partners and did not take preventive measures against STDs.

Lin said online speculation that genital warts can be contracted by using a public bath, swimming pool or sharing towels with an infected person are false, but it can be contracted through wounds on the skin directly exposed to the virus.

Lin said men can prevent genital warts by maintaining good personal hygiene, including washing the penis before and after sex, keeping the genital area dry and well ventilated, avoiding unsafe sex, or getting the HPV vaccine, which is most effective if administered while the person is still a virgin.