Viruses are microscopic organisms that require a host to live and multiply. The Human Papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted virus with strains that are connected with cervical cancer and genital warts. Due to the risk of cervical cancer, women have traditionally been "pre-treated" with various vaccinations as a means of prevention. More recently, there has been an increase in oropharyngeal cancer, especially in the younger male population. A strain of the Human Papillomavirus has been identified as a causative factor in these cancers. Why is oropharyngeal cancer on the rise? With public information regarding smoking and excessive drinking, the associated risk factors for this disease, oropharyngeal cancer, was decreasing. We now know there is a correlation between oral sex and the Human Papillomavirus being transmitted to the oropharynx. Some of these strains of HPV are directly linked to these cancers of the head and neck.