Health Information Blog

Genital Herpes, having a bit of social stigma attached to it, may not be something openly discussed. The truth is that Herpes is much more common than most people think. In the US alone, there is estimated to be 50 lillion infected with the disease.

Being diagnosed with Genital Herpes can be a real shock for many. Emotions of feeling unclean, shame, and less worthy are common.

If you have been diagnosed with genital herpes, or suspect that you are infected, you have a lot more company than you may suspect. Take a look at some of these numbers:

In the United States about 20% of the adult population are infected with genital herpes. Somewhere around 50 million Americans. Breaking the statistics down, the rate for women is about one in four, and for men it is one in five.

Herpes is more common than all other viral sexually transmitted diseases combined. Possibly one reason herpes is spreading so quickly is that about 80% of those infected are completely unaware of having herpes. So, 80% of those 50 million Americans are unknowingly putting their partners at risk of contracting herpes.

While the disease is more contagious during an outbreak, the virus can be spread when there are no symptoms present at all.

Not everyone infected with the virus will have outbreaks after the initial episode. For those infected with the Herpes Simplex type 2 (HSV-2) virus approximately 80% will have at least one additional reoccurrence, and those infected with Herpes Simplex type-1 have only a 50% rate of reoccurrence. The average number of outbreaks is around 4-5 per year.

While getting the diagnosis of genital herpes can be distressing, it is important to get a proper diagnosis which involve the proper blood tests by a medical practitioner.

What Does Herpes Look Like in addition to Female Symptoms Herpes are some frequent queries about herpes. Find more information about Herpes by clicking the links.