50 Millions Have Herpes -Are You one of Them
Genital Herpes is something you may not discuss with your friends, however, it is a viral infection that is spreading very fast, with about one million new cases per year. In the US it is estimated that fifty million people are infected with genital herpes, making it a lot more common than most know it to be.
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:
Genital herpes infections occur in about one of every four women in the United States. Men have a slightly lower rate at approximately one in every five men. That means we have about 50 million individuals in the US with genital herpes. That number is rising quickly with an estimated one million new cases per year.
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.
After the initial episode, those infected with HSV-2 have an 80% rate of reoccurrence. Infections caused by HSV-1 have a lot lower risk of reoccurrence -about 50% will have a reoccurrence with 4-5 outbreaks per year being the average number.
While it can be tempting to self diagnose, using pictures found on the internet as a comparison, Herpes should be diagnosed by an experienced clinician utilizing proper testing.
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.
