According to the latest global estimates, more than 846 million adults worldwide are currently living with genital herpes.
Genital herpes is an extremely common, lifelong sexually transmitted disease transmitted by two types of herpes simplex virus (HSV).
Both types one and two can cause genital herpes. Type one, which can occur at a young age, usually causes oral herpes (manifesting as cold sores), while HSV-2 is usually associated with sexual transmission and genital herpes.
An international team of researchers sought to improve previous methods for estimating the prevalence of both types of HSV worldwide in people under 50 years of age, starting with the 2012 and 2016 estimates from the World Health Organization.
More broadly, the research team determined that two-thirds of the world’s population (about 3.8 billion people) were living with some form of the most common HSV-1 in 2020.
In 2020 alone, there were 122 million new HSV-1 infections in people from birth to age 49, including 16.8 million new genital infections.
And among people ages 15 to 39 affected by sexually transmitted HSV-2, researchers identified 26 million new infections in 2020, bringing the total number of people currently living with HSV-2 to 520 million.
Many people with this condition struggle with thoughts like “My life is ruined” or “No one will ever accept me.” These feelings of shame may prevent them from seeking medical help.
About 20 million Americans test positive for sexually transmitted infections each year, a staggering statistic that experts say is symptomatic of a more significant public health crisis, which has seen rates of some diseases such as syphilis reach levels historical.
Between 50 and 80 percent of Americans suffer from occasional cold sores, while about 12 percent of Americans ages 14 to 49 have genital herpes.
Genital herpes causes painful blisters and open sores sometimes on the vagina, penis, lips or testicles, but it can also be asymptomatic. Additionally, the herpes simplex family of viruses can remain dormant in the body without causing noticeable problems.
When the virus infects a person, it can travel to a cluster of sensory nerves in the brain and remain dormant there for months or even years after the initial infection.
But in times of stress, severe fatigue, or changes in the immune system, the virus can reactivate, multiply, and travel back to the skin through nerve fibers. These stressful times can cause new blisters in the same area as the initial infection.
Rates of HSV-2 were particularly high among young adults in the Americas and Africa. HSV-2 incidence generally decreased with age in both regions, pointing to a higher risk of infection in younger people.
In 2020, approximately 25.6 million new genital HSV-2 infections occurred worldwide among people aged 15 to 49 years and 16.8 million new genital HSV-1 infections occurred worldwide in the same age group.
A total of 122.2 million new HSV-1 infections (acquired orally or genitally) were estimated in people from birth to 49 years of age, with the African region having the highest incidence.
Researchers determined that the global prevalence of incurable genital herpes has been declining in recent years. According to the latest estimates, around 1 in 5 people under the age of 50, or 846 million worldwide, live with genital herpes.
Both herpes simplex virus types one and two can cause genital herpes. Type one, which can occur at a young age, usually causes oral herpes (manifesting as cold sores), while HSV-2 is usually associated with sexual transmission and genital herpes.
In 2020, around 520 million people aged 15 to 49 were living with HSV-2 infections and around 376 million people worldwide were living with genital HSV-1 infections.
The researchers said: “In addition to painful genital sores, genital herpes is associated with a range of adverse social and psychological outcomes, including effects on sexual relationships, quality of life and mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. “. esteem.’
Many people with this condition struggle with thoughts of “my life is over” and “no one will ever accept me.” Those feelings of shame can prevent people from seeking medical care.
A diagnosis of herpes can also influence a woman’s decision to have children, as there is a risk of the virus being transmitted to the baby when it is born, “a disabling disease in newborns with a high mortality rate” if not This is what it is, according to the researchers.
Genital herpes is also associated with a three-fold increased risk of HIV infection. Scientists believe that painful lesions pose the greatest risk because they create an ideal environment for the HIV virus to replicate.
People diagnosed with genital herpes are treated with prescription antiviral medications to make outbreaks shorter and less painful, but there is no cure.
While the United States is in the midst of a prolonged STI epidemic, the researchers behind the latest estimates were cautiously optimistic about their findings, which suggested that the incidence of genital herpes is actually showing signs of declining.
They said: ‘The global prevalence of HSV-2 was virtually the same in the 2016 and 2020 estimation rounds.
“Taking into account changes in underlying demographics during this time (increasing global average age and the changing proportion of the global population in each region), the prevalence of HSV-2, adjusted for demographic trends, appears to be slowly declining.” “.
Their results were published in the journal. Sexually transmitted infections.
They attributed the positive sign to “less risky sexual behavior after the HIV epidemic, increased awareness of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), increased access to HIV/STI services” and/or changes in the way that people enter into sexual relationships due to changes in economics and social factors.