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Question:
I've been searching all over for information on genital warts in children. My friend's 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with genital warts. The warts are on her thighs and buttocks. The pediatrician brought up the possability of sexual abuse but the parents have no evidence of this. The warts coincided with the child starting a new preschool. Is it possible this was transmitted by a carer at school? On one occaision, the girl came home with someone else's underware because she had wet her pants and the preschool provided the underware, from where I do not know. The doctor gave them a cream to put on the warts but they are not going away and one is growing like cauliflower. Should they insist the doctor remove the larger warts? They have three other young children who share the same bathroom at home. Can this spread to the other children via the toilet seat or towels? Does the mother need to worry about contracting this while rubbing on the prescribed cream. I know you cannot diagnose or treat but what recommendations should they make to their doctor and school and what precautions should be taken?
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Answer:
by Georgan Gregg: (06/26/2004)
Glad you found our site. To be termed genital warts, human papilloma virus (HPV) must actually be on the vulva (the outer female genital area), in or around the vagina, in or around the anus, groin (where the genitals meet the inner thigh), or the cervix. Although the possibility of sexual abuse should never be taken lightly, please be aware that transmission of HPV can occur non-sexually. As to where the child could have gotten of HPV, it’s impossible to say, but this is an extremely common virus. It’s important for you to understand that while there are dozens of strains of HPV, only a few cause serious illness. This means there’s little concern for the other children or the mother.
The appearance of warts varies greatly. The cauliflower look you mentioned is actually a group of warts, with an individual wart possibly being so small that they aren’t visible to the naked eye. Treatment is determined by considering the size, location & number of warts, changes in the warts, your friends’ preference, cost of treatment, convenience, adverse effects, and the physician’s experience with the treatments.
If your friends continue to be concerned they can seek a 2nd medical opinion, perhaps from a dermatologist. Let us know if we can be of further help.Reviewed by Sexual Health Editorial Team
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