Abstract: Objective To investigate the morbidity of cervical high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in women screened in Hongkou District of Shanghai and explore its role in cervical precursor lesion. Methods The cervical specimens from a series of 318 women were investigated to detect high-risk HPV-DNA (HC-II).Pathological result was golden standard. Results The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values of HPV-DNA test were 48.1%, 89.2%, 38.2% and 92.5% respectively in the diagnosis of cervical precancerous lesion.The morbidity of cervical HPV infection was 10.8% in those with negative histology, 25.0% in those with low-grade CIN, and 81.8% in those with high-grade CIN.Conclusion Infection with HPV is an essential factor in the development of invasive cervical cancer and its precursor lesion.HPV-DNA detection is of importance in cervical cancer screening because of its high negative predictive value.