Herpes rate spikes at Utah university

The rate of herpes transmission among students at Utah State University rose significantly in the past year, according to the school's health officials.

Jim Davis, the director of the university's Student Health and Wellness Center, recently told the Cache Valley Herald Journal that more and more students have been diagnosed with genital or oral herpes or, in some cases, both.

He added that students are reporting earlier sexual contact, an increased amount of oral sex and less protected sex.

The latter two trends have contributed to a "crossover" in oral and genital herpes, meaning that some students have symptoms that affect both the face and the reproductive organs.

Herpes may initially present few symptoms, but given time it can result in periodic eruptions of sores on the genitals, mouth or face, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Preventing herpes means abstaining from risky behaviors, using sexual protection and getting screened for sexually transmitted diseases. Individuals who are worried that they have herpes may consider investing in online testing services.

More than 16 percent of people between the ages of 14 and 49 have oral or genital herpes, the CDC reports.