| In general, recurrences of the symptoms of the molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) become less likely as time goes on. They happen for 15-35 percent of people who develop symptoms. Recurrences usually occur within four years of the initial episode. Although the virus may survive in the body for a longer time, recurrences after four years are unlikely, unless a person's immune system has been impaired. Symptoms and the life course of the infection are greatly extended, for example, among women and men who have HIV or AIDS.
MCV is transmitted by sexual and non-sexual intimate contact. MCV is, in fact, more common among children than it is among adults. Symptoms of sexually transmitted MCV are much less common than symptoms of either herpes or genital warts. They include very small, waxy, round growths in the genital area or on the thighs. There is often a tiny depression in the middle of the growth. Symptoms usually appear between two and 12 weeks after exposure and infection — but it can take longer. Treatment is often not required because the growths may go away by themselves. Treatments for removing growths include the application of chemicals, electrical current, or freezing.
Using condoms can reduce the risk of transmitting MCV, but the virus may "shed" beyond the area protected by the condom.
(Stats on life course, prevalence of infection, and recurrence of symptoms from Holmes, King, et al., (1999). Sexually Transmitted Diseases. New York: McGraw-Hill, 385-389.)
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