Article : Warts Are Transmitted in Homes and Schools

School classrooms and family members are important reservoirs for transmission of human papillomavirus.

An estimated one third of school-age children develop cutaneous warts. Previous studies of human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission have focused on exposures in the home environment and in public places (e.g., communal showers), but have not assessed risk for wart acquisition over time or by degree of exposure or the role of classroom exposure.


Researchers prospectively followed 1000 children (age range, 4–12 years) in three primary schools in the Netherlands for 2 years and monitored them for the presence and acquisition of warts on hands and feet. Data on degree of HPV exposure included family, school, public, and environmental factors. The overall incidence rate of wart acquisition was 29 per 100 person-years. Plantar warts were more prevalent than common warts (14% vs. 9%). In multivariate analysis, exposure to warts in family and school settings was significantly associated with wart acquisition. Use of public pools, showers, and sports facilities did not significantly increase risk for wart acquisition.

 

CITATION(S):

Bruggink SC et al. Warts transmitted in families and schools: A prospective cohort. Pediatrics 2013 May; 131:928. 

 

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