Objective To understand the infection status and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) in population in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and provide reference for the local prevention and control of HPV infection and HPV vaccination.

Methods A total of 40 021 men and women were tested for HPV in the Hangzhou Third People's Hospital from January 2018 to November 2023 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-DNA reverse point hybridization for the detections of 23 genotypes of HPV-DNA, and the results were analyzed.

Results Among the 40 021 study subjects, 12 286 infections were detected, and the overall infection rate was 30.70%. The infection rate was higher in men than in women, and the difference was significant (χ²=758.704, P＜0.001). The main high-risk subtypes were HPV52, 16, 58, 53 and 51, and the low-risk subtype was HPV6, 11. In age distribution, HPV infection rate showed a “V” distribution. The infection rate was highest at age 20 years (53.31%), then decreased gradually, and increased gradually after age 51 years. The differences were significant among different age groups (χ²=804.047, P＜0.001). In terms of infection type, single low risk infection was mainly found in men (15.63%), and single high risk infection was mainly found in women (12.59%).

Conclusion HPV 6, 52, 16, 11 and 58 were the top five subtypes mainly detected in HPV infection cases in Hangzhou, and the infection showed increase in younger age group. It is necessary to strengthen HPV surveillance, health education and vaccination in adolescents. It is suggested to include men in the HPV vaccination group due to the higher HPV infection rate, and HPV cross-infection in this population.