(ABCNEWS.COM) 27 February 2007:

A study published on February 27 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which looked at nearly 2,000 women aged 14 to 59 years, showed 27 percent overall were infected with one or more strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), making it the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States.

The research also found that HPV is even more common in younger age groups, with nearly half of all women in their early 20s infected.

Recent debate over proposed state programs mandating vaccinations with the HPV vaccine Gardasil for pre-teen girls has brought the virus into the national spotlight.

Public health experts say the move could protect many of these girls from cervical cancer, which can be caused by certain types of the virus. About 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and 3,700 women die from it yearly.