Yes I am aware of how common it is (and thats just the visual ones) as I work as a midwife. The thing is if it were really passed on during vaginal birth and it was one of the strains that causes cancer (I think there are only about 4 nasty strains that are responsible for the cervical cancer which is not many considering how many strains there are) then potentially you would be looking at young girls carry HPV and been at risk of cancer well before they are even at an age where they would be sexually active or able to have a papsmear. I was just saying I hadn't even heard about it been passed on like that although obviously it could be transmitted in the household by other means. If it truely was a risk then there would be some type of testing I would have thought to make sure women whom have a strain that causes cancer would not pass it on during birth (if that was a way you could get it). I certainly haven't heard of really young girls having HPV that affects the genitals before sexual contact.
I was reading up about HPV and pregnancy/delivery. The subject of c/s for mothers with HPV did come up. They said because the risk of transmission was low, and that most babies that contract the virus clear it themselves that the risk of the surgery to try to prevent it didn't outweigh the benefits. Although some OBs disagreed. This was even when the strain was one that can lead to cancer.
Apparently your normal pap test will alert the doctor to investigate for further HPV.

I was reading up when pg with my 3rd because a friends daughter developed genital warts when she was only 4 Pretty rare. She freaked thinking how she'd contracted warts, but the doctor said it was most likely through delivery. (There were no other signs physical, psychological or emotional pointing to any abuse.) My friend had never had any symptoms so didn't know she had it.