HPV (human papillomavirus) is a common virus that afafects both females and males. Most types of HPV are harmless, do not cause any symptons, and go away on their own.
About 30 types of HPV are known as genital HPV since they affect the genital area. Some types are high risk and can cause cervical cancer or abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix that sometimes turn into cancer. Others are low risk and can cause genital warts and changes in the cervix that are benign (abnormal but noncancerous)