How many people between the ages of 14 and 49 have genital herpes in the U.S.? Take a guess. 1%? 5%? The CDC released data today that as much as 16 percent of the U.S. population between the ages of 14 and 49 has genital herpes. And that’s just the reported cases. The CDC estimates that more than 80 percent of the people who have the herpes simplex 2 virus have no idea they are infected. Many people never have symptoms or outbreaks, or those symptoms are mild and mistaken for something else. Worse, genital herpes can be transmitted during skin to skin contact even when the infected person is not having any symptoms or showing visible sores.
Are you concerned that you may have been exposed to genital herpes? Getting a type-specific herpes test for HSV-1 and HSV-2 is the only way to learn if you have the infection or if you do not. We’re here to help people get tested for herpes, HIV and other common STDs. Doctors are available 7 days a week to discuss the results and followup with treatment, if necessary.
“This study serves as a stark reminder that herpes remains a common and serious health threat in the United States. Everyone should be aware of the symptoms, risk factors and steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of this lifelong and incurable infection,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention.
Of the people who have genital herpes infections, women and African-Americans top the list for the highest rates. According to the CDC data, 1 in 5 women is infected with genital herpes or HSV-2. The infection rate was almost twice as high among women — nearly 21 percent — than among men, at 11.5 percent.
For African-Americans, the prevalence of infection was 39.2 percent — more than three times that of whites, at 12.3 percent. Black women are most affected by the disease, with an infection rate of 48 percent.
Fenton said the high rates of herpes among African-Americans is most likely contributing to the high rate of HIV in that community. In fact, statistics show that people with herpes are two to three times more likely to get HIV if exposed.
CDC experts say there are a number of barriers to treatment, including poverty and lack of access to care. They say young women often don’t get tested for STDs because of misinformation and stigma.
And, according to CDC experts, while African-American women and men are often unwilling to get tested, doctors are often reluctant to discuss sexual health with their patients — particularly with black male patients.
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