8. Human Papilloma Virus/HPV
HPV is quite possibly the most common STD. One 1997 study estimated that three-quarters of the sexually active population has had HPV at some point during their lives, and a study released in 2007 found that one-quarter of women are infected at any given time. HPV may be known as “the cervical cancer virus,” but only a few types of HPV are linked to cancer. Others cause genital warts, or no symptoms at all. Although HPV is considered incurable, its symptoms can be treated, and many people resolve infections on their own. Recently the government approved a new vaccine to protect young women from the four most common strains of the virus.
