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Source: Reuters
About 16% of Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 are
infected with genital herpes, making it one of the most common
sexually transmitted diseases, US health officials said.
Black women had the highest rate of infection at 48% and women were
nearly twice likely as men to be infected, according to an analysis
by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 21% of women were infected with genital herpes, compared to
only 11.5% of men, while 39% of blacks were infected compared to
about 12% for whites, the CDC said.
There is no cure for genital herpes or herpes simplex virus type 2
(HSV-2), which can cause recurrent and painful genital sores and
also increases the likelihood of acquiring and transmitting the
AIDS virus.
It is related to herpes simplex virus 1, or oral herpes, which
causes cold sores.
Several drugs are available to treat herpes symptoms and outbreaks,
including acyclovir, which is available generically or under the
Zovirax brand name, and valacyclovir, known generically as Valtrex
- both made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Ganciclovir, sold as Zirgan, is
made by privately-held Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.
The CDC estimates that more than 80% of people with genital herpes
do not know they are infected.
"The message is herpes is quite common. The symptoms can be often
very innocuous," Dr John Douglas of the CDC said in a
teleconference.
"Because herpes is so prevalent it becomes ... a really important
reason to use condoms on a consistent and correct basis with all of
your partners," Douglas said.
Douglas said the increased rate of infection in blacks is not due
to increased risk behaviour but likely due to biological factors
that make women more susceptible as well as the higher rate of
infection within black communities.
The CDC estimates that there are 19 million new sexually
transmitted disease infections every year in the United States,
costing the health care system about $22 billion annually.
