My partner and I live together and share a bathroom. I just found out that he has this Virus. We haven't been sexually active yet. I was wondering if you can get the virus from inanimate objects. Like sharing razors for shaving the genital region? The action was preformed prior to my knowledge of the risk and the object wasn't used recently maybe months ago. >.>

Hi Swank,

I don't know that you need to worry too much about this. It's a good common sense precaution, of course, not to share razors or dirty towels that have been used on skin where warts are present, but the chances of transmission through inanimate object aren't well documented and probably don't carry overwhelming risks. Just keep this in mind going forward.

The risk of HPV transmission may be lower when lesions (like warts) are cleared, and research with young women indicates those whose male partners use condoms consistently can reduce HPV transmission by about 70% or so. Condoms aren't 100% effective, but can reduce risks for HPV and a host of other STDs.

The immune system usually clears HPV over time, so most infections aren't persistent. Read more about this at
http://www.ashastd.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=394

Hope this helps. Post anytime.

Best,
Fredo

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