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.
Being diagnosed with Genital Herpes can be a real shock for many. Emotions of feeling unclean, shame, and less worthy are common.
The statistics show that if you are diagnosed with herpes, or if you think you may be, you have a lot of company. Take a look at these statistics:
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.
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 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.
