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An estimated one third of school-age children develop cutaneous warts. Previous studies of human papillomavirus (HPV) transmission have focused on exposures in the home environment and in public places (e.g., communal showers), but have not assessed risk for wart acquisition over time or by degree of exposure or the role of classroom exposure.
Researchers prospectively followed 1000 children (age range, 4–12 years) in three primary schools in the Netherlands for 2 years and monitored them for the presence and acquisition of warts on hands and feet. Data on degree of HPV exposure included family, school, public, and environmental factors. The overall incidence rate of wart acquisition was 29 per 100 person-years. Plantar warts were more preva…