Many people find public places such as comfort rooms unsanitary due to the fact that there's really no way of finding out what health problems those who use them may have.

However, NBC News reports that viral infections like warts are not commonly contracted from such places, but from family and friends.

Researchers at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands examined 1,000 children between ages four and 12 for warts on their hands and feet. They also checked the kids’ families and friends for warts and asked questions about whether they walked home or played barefoot and if they used public restrooms and pools. A follow-up was done a year later.

Results showed that 29 percent of the children developed warts within the year of the study, and those who contracted warts at the beginning of the year were more likely to get them again. Those with family or friends who have had warts had twice the risk of developing them over a one-year period

Most warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and can be transmitted via direct or indirect contact. To avoid exposing kids to warts, researchers recommend taking preventive measures at home.

(Photo by edward musiak via Flickr Creative Commons, used for illustrative purposes only)