Prevalence, incidence and persistence of genital HPV infections in a large cohort of sexually active young women in the Netherlands

► HPV prevalence (54%), incidence (45%) and persistence (34%) is high. ► Risk factors for HPV persistent and incident infections are different. ► There is an age-dependent increase within this age range for persistent infections but not for incident infections. ► Knowledge on type-specific HPV infections pre-vaccination is essential for monitoring the HPV vaccine.