Study: Quarter of U.S. Women Have Genital Warts

Researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting that the human papillomavirus (HPV) is more prevalent than ever.

According to Reuters, health officials found that the sexually-transmitted virus infects 26.8 percent of American women between the ages of 14 and 59. The rate of infection translates to a total of 24.9 million girls and women.

The study showed that incidence of HPV was highest in the 20 to 24-year-old age group, with 44.8 percent infected. Nearly a quarter of teenagers aged 14 to 19 tested positive for HPV, with the rate measuring 1 in 5 for older age groups.

"It's a highly prevalent infection," the CDC�fs Dr. Eileen Dunne told Reuters. "Many women are at risk for this infection." Dunne led a group of researchers as they collected data from a nationally representative group of 1,921 girls and women ages 14 to 49 who provided vaginal swabs in 2003 and 2004.

For the entire Reuters story, click here