Saturday, January 16, 2010

50 Millions Have Herpes -Are You one of Them

By Harold Ulvaeus

Genital Herpes still carries somewhat of a social stigma and it may not be something one freely shares with friends. The fact is that Genital Herpes is quite common with approximately one million new cases per year in the uS alone.

Receiving the diagnosis of genital herpes can be emotionally challenging with emotions of shame and isolation. And how does one date when having herpes?

Rest assured, that even though Herpes is a life long infection, you are far from alone.

Approximately one in four women and one in four men in the United states are infected with Genital Herpes. That is 20% of our population. The infection is spreading at the rate of an estimated one million new cases per year.

It is the most prevalent viral sexually transmitted disease. Of all these millions of cases, only about 20% are aware, or have been diagnosed with herpes. That means that 80% of those infected with the herpes virus are possibly infecting their partners.

Combining the fact that most do not know that they are infected, with another fact, that the disease can be transmitted even in the absence of symptoms, and it is easy to see how it can spread so rapidly.

Once the initial episode has passed, not everyone will ever have an outbreak again. For those infected with HSV-2, about 80% will have additional outbreaks, and those infected with the HSV-1 will have a 50% risk of having additional episodes. Typically, the number of outbreaks is about 4-5 per year.

While Herpes does have a characteristic look, there are other conditions that have a similar appearance. If you suspect that you may have herpes, getting a proper diagnosis by a medical practitioner is the first step.

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