The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have just released an astonishing new report that suggests you may have a virus and not even known it. The Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United States, and the study suggests that nearly half of all adults are infected with it.

The report claims that 45 percent of Americans ages 18 to 59 have some form of genital HPV. The study also found that 25 percent of men and 20 percent of women had strains that can carry a high risk of cancer, a worrying sign.

There are many types of HPV viruses – 150, in fact, and usually they go away on their own. Most sexually active people appear to get HPV, the CDC report found. Vaccinations against HPV first became available about 10 years ago.

“Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States (1). Some HPV types can cause genital warts and are considered low risk, with a small chance for causing cancer,” the CDC report states. “Other types are considered high risk, causing cancer in different areas of the body including the cervix and vagina in women, penis in men, and anus and oropharynx in both men and women (2). This report provides the most recent national estimates of oral HPV prevalence among adults aged 18–69 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2014, as well as prevalence of genital HPV among adults aged 18–59 from NHANES 2013–2014. Estimates of any HPV (37 types tested) as well as high-risk HPV (14 of the 37 types) are provided.”