KimRick

Herpes & HPV are spread through skin-to-skin contact. Herpes can be transmitted even though there is not a visible sore, I believe it's called "viral shedding". HPV, known as human papliloma virus, is known for causing genital warts and can cause cervical cancer in women. It may, and I say "may" because it's still being disputed, cause penile cancer and is supposed to be attributed to 20% of all oral cancers. There are about 100 different strains of hpv out there, classified as "high risk" & "low risk". The high risk strains do not cause actual warts, but can cause cervical cancer if left untreated. The "low risk" strains are not associated with cancer, but will produce actual warts. For men, there are no tests available for the high risk strains and without a visible wart (low risk), diagnosis is impossible! Therefore, men are considered to be "carriers" of the high risk strains! About 80% of the sexually active population is infected and doesn't even know it. Because it's transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, condoms do not protect you. Unfortunately, because the disease lives in the skin and tissue, a blood test will not confirm infection. HPV, as with herpes, is not curable only treatable. . . .