Although the likelihood of your child getting sick is small, we recommend contacting a gynecologist if you have genital warts and are pregnant. This is to minimize the chances of infecting your child with HPV6 or HPV11.
It is unwise to have unsafe oral sex with someone who has genital warts, among others because there is probably an increased risk of passing on these viruses.
In many countries (including the Netherlands), girls are vaccinated against cervical cancer and genital warts before they reach the age in which they become sexually active. As of 2019, the vaccine is not only given to girls, but also to boys from the age of 12. There are three different vaccines on the market. In the Netherlands, the government has decided to use Cervarix® in the national vaccination program. This vaccine only protects against HPV16 and HPV18 (responsible for cervical cancer) and not HPV6 and HPV11. Gardasil and the new vaccine Gardasil-9® also protect against HPV6 and HPV11 and are used in most other countries. The incidence of laryngeal papillomatosis is decreasing in countries where Gardasil® is used. In countries where Cervarix® is used there is no impact on the number of new patients with laryngeal papillomatosis.