Herpes – the single most common STI worldwide

Herpes is the single most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. It is estimated that 20-40 per cent of the adult US population is infected, and worldwide, as much as 90 per cent of the world’s population. This is because most people who have the virus are not aware of it (only one in six in the US is aware), because most are without symptoms.{{more}}

Herpes is the name of a large family of viruses, which can produce symptoms like the common cold or flu, to glandular problems, to skin rashes like chickenpox, to cancers. Some are sexually transmitted and the most common of these are the herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2. Traditionally, the type 1 was spread by kissing and was called the oro-facial type, while type 2, spread by sexual contact, was called the genital type. However, with varying and alternate sexual practices, it is now almost impossible to tell which is which, except by blood tests, as type 1 can be passed to the genitals by oral sex and vice versa. For practical purposes, if the person only has a cold sore called “night fever”, we doctors assume it is the type 1 caused by kissing, but as I said before, it is not always so; likewise, the type 2 tends to cause genital ulcers, but they may be caused by the type 1. From a practical viewpoint, it is immaterial which type it is, as the treatment and pathology is basically the same, even though the social stigma is different.

For comments or question contact:

Dr Rohan Deshong

Tel: (784) 456-2785

email: deshong@vincysurf.com