How Common is Herpes - Infection Figures and Statistics
by kalyani10
What makes Herpes a highly prevalent disease is that it is not merely one infection but includes a host of them. The herpes virus family has several members, one of the most powerful of which is the HSV or herpes simplex virus which in turn can be HSV 1 or HSV2. The two between them can affect various parts of the body like mouth, genitals, eyes, fingers, brain and just about any part of the skin in which case the infection is known respectively as cold sores, genital herpes, herpes keratitis, herpes whitlow, herpes encephalitis and eczema herpeticum. Even newborn babies can get herpes from the mother which is known as neonatal herpes. Infections like chicken pox and shingles known as herpes zoster are also caused by this family of viruses. This large variety of herpes infections together with the ease of its transmission and the absence of complete cure, make herpes one of the most common diseases.
TIP: Positive Singles specializes in dating for those with STD
According to the US government’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the country. Across the nation, 16.2%, or about one out of six people from 14 to 49 years of age have genital herpes caused by infection by HSV-21. National trend data2 on the seroprevalence of HSV-2 among those aged 14–49 years from NHANES 2005–2008 were compared with NHANES survey years 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. Results showed that seroprevalence decreased from 21% (95% CI: 19.1–23.1) in 1988–1994 to 17.0% (95% CI: 15.8–18.3) in 1999–2004 and 16.2% (95% CI: 14.6–17.9) in 2005–2008. Even though seroprevalence for HSV-2 has come down, the fact that most people with HSV-2 have not been diagnosed properly continues to remain a matter of concern.
Yet another trend in genital herpes infection statistics shows that women were twice as likely to be infected with the disease as compared to men. The CDC website says that approximately one out of five women 14 to 49 years of age carry this infection while only about one out of nine men 14 to 49 years of age are affected. In terms of percentages, 21 percent of women are infected with genital herpes, compared to only 11.5 percent of men3. While there are no definite reasons on why this happens, the CDC points out that transmission from an infected male to his female partner is more likely than from an infected female to her male partner.
Then again statistics prepared by CDC revealed that blacks are more likely to be affected by genital herpes rather than whites in the United States. According to the March 2010 news article in Reuters, 39 percent of blacks were infected compared to about 12 percent for whites. However CDC spokesperson Dr. John Douglas believes that the higher prevalence of genital herpes in the African origin population is not because of increased risk behavior rather due to underlying biological factors.
Furthermore CDC estimates that more eighty percent of people carrying the HSV 2 infection are not even aware that they are infected. This is because of the stealthy nature of the spread of the virus since transmission can occur from an infected partner who does not have a visible sore and may not know that he or she is infected. While both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can be found in and released from the sores that the viruses cause, they are also released between outbreaks from skin that does not appear to have a sore. Generally, a person can only get HSV-2 infection during sexual contact with someone who has a genital HSV-2 infection. Sometimes however even HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, even though it is more commonly associated with infections of the mouth and lips known as cold sores or fever blisters. When HSV-1 virus does cause infection of the genitals, it does so by oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who has HSV-1 infection. On the whole however, genital HSV-1 outbreaks recur less regularly than genital HSV-2 outbreaks.
Among other reasons for the prevalence of herpes is the fact that it diagnosis is not prompt. When an infected person breaks out in cold sores or blisters at any part of the body, he/she can dismiss it as mere skin irritations. Usually the body’s immune system is able to suppress the symptoms but the virus remains in the body only to break out later when the immune system is weakened due to illness or stress. It is only when sores breakout at regular intervals that most people notice them and see a doctor. More importantly the signs and symptoms associated with HSV-2 can vary greatly which further delays diagnosis and treatment and in the meanwhile the infected person goes on to transmit the virus to other partners.
Finally the fact that as yet there is no complete cure for herpes is also responsible for making it a common sexually transmitted disease. Antiviral medications can only shorten and prevent outbreaks during the period of time the person takes the medication. And even though daily suppressive therapy for symptomatic herpes can reduce transmission to partners, it cannot definitely completely prevent the spread of infection. While the only surefire way to keep oneself safe from genital herpes is to abstain from sex, a yet more practical way is to always have safe sex and be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.
The CDC estimates that there are nineteen million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases every year in the US, costing the country’s health care system $16 billion annually. Of this up to 1 million new HSV-2 infections may be transmitted each year in the United States, according to the American Social Health Association, (Sexually Transmitted Diseases in America: How Many Cases and at What Cost? Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation, 1998).
References:
- Log in to post comments
