The degree of HPV exposure in the family and school class contributes to the development of warts in schoolchildren. (1) – Pediatrics

WebMD reports that “…a new Dutch study has found that the most likely way children get infected with the virus that causes warts is from close contact with family members or classmates, rather than from public places such as pools or communal showers.” (2)

“Current recommendations on wart prevention focus primarily on public places such as swimming pools, [but] children often get warts from family members or classmates rather than from public spaces, [suggesting that] covering warts at home or at school could maybe be more helpful in preventing warts.” – Dr. Sjoerd Bruggink, Leiden University Medical Center. (2)

Medscape notes that warts are, “benign proliferations of skin and mucosa caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Currently, more than 100 types of HPV have been identified. Certain HPV types tend to infect skin at particular anatomic sites; however, warts of any HPV type may occur at any site.” (3)

This includes common and plantar warts.

Medscape continues, saying that there are a number of topical treatments available such as salicylic acid. Another common treatment is cryotherapy, which freezes the warts with liquid nitrogen. A recent study from the Journal of Clinical Virology published in March of this year says that “Cryotherapy is effective for common warts, but for plantar warts available treatments often fail.” The same study went on to note that although treatments often fail, “When treated, salicylic acid was more effective than cryotherapy for …HPV subgroups of plantar warts.” (4)

It should be noted that current preventive recommendations “mainly focus on limiting the personal spread of HPV (‘Avoid scratching lesions‘) and reducing the risk of transmission in public places (‘wear flip-flops in communal showers‘ ).