How can I avoid getting warts?

The following strategies can reduce the chances of getting warts:^[1][2]

• Avoid contact with warts, including your own, which can spread HPV. If you come into contact with somebody else’s wart, thoroughly wash your hands as soon as possible. It is also important to avoid picking at warts, which could cause them to spread to other parts of your body.
• To avoid getting plantar warts, be sure to wear socks, shoes, or sandals when in public places such as locker rooms or swimming pools.
• Take care when clipping your fingernails or shaving, since damaging a wart can cause it to spread to other areas of the body.
• Avoid nail biting: nail biters tend to have a much greater incidence of periungual warts, often on multiple nails.^[3]