What Percentage Of The World Has Herpes

What Percentage Of The World Has Herpes

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Herpes simplex virus

Key facts

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) is categorized into 2 types: HSV-1 and HSV-2.
HSV-1 is mainly transmitted by oral-to-oral contact, causing oral herpes (including symptoms known as cold sores), but it can also lead to genital herpes.
HSV-2 is a sexually transmitted infection that causes genital herpes.
An estimated 3.7 billion people under age 50 (67%) have HSV-1 infection globally.
An estimated 491 million people aged 15–49 (13%) worldwide have HSV-2 infection.
Most HSV infections are asymptomatic, but symptoms of herpes include painful blisters or ulcers that can recur over time.
Infection with HSV-2 increases the risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV infection.

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Infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV), known as herpes, is common globally. HSV type 1 (HSV-1) is typically transmitted by oral-to-oral contact and causes infection in or around the mouth (oral herpes), but it can also cause genital herpes. HSV-2 is mainly sexually transmitted and causes genital herpes.
Both oral and genital herpes are mostly asymptomatic or unrecognized but can cause painful blisters or ulcers at the site of infection, ranging from mild to severe. Infection is lifelong, and symptoms can recur over many years. Some medications are available to reduce the severity and frequency of symptoms, but they cannot cure the infection.
Recurrent symptoms of both oral and genital herpes may be distressing. Genital herpes can also be stigmatizing and have an impact on sexual relationships. However, in time, most people with either kind of herpes adjust to living with the infection.
In 2016 (last available estimates), 3.7 billion people under the age of 50, or 67% of the population, had HSV-1 infection (oral or genital). Most HSV-1 infections are acquired during childhood.
Genital herpes caused by HSV-2 affects an estimated 491 million (13%) people aged 15–49 years worldwide (2016 data). HSV-2 infects women almost twice as often as men because sexual transmission is more efficient from men to women. Prevalence increases with age, though the highest number of new infections are in adolescents.
Oral herpes infection is mostly asymptomatic, but symptoms can include painful blisters or open sores (ulcers) in or around the mouth (cold sores). Infected persons will often experience a tingling, itching or burning sensation around their mouth before the appearance of sores. These symptoms can recur periodically, and the frequency varies from person to person.
Genital herpes can be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms that go unrecognized. When symptoms occur, genital herpes is characterised by one or more genital or anal blisters or ulcers. Additionally, symptoms of a new infection often include fever, body aches and swollen lymph nodes. After an initial episode, which can be severe, symptoms may recur. Genital herpes caused by HSV-1 typically does not recur frequently. With HSV-2, recurrent symptoms are common. However, recurrences are often less severe than the first episode and tend to decrease over time.
HSV-1 is mainly transmitted via contact with the virus in sores, saliva or surfaces in or around the mouth. Less commonly, HSV-1 can be transmitted to the genital area through oral-genital contact to cause genital herpes. It can be transmitted from oral or skin surfaces that appear normal; however, the greatest risk of transmission is when there are active sores. People who already have HSV-1 are not at risk of reinfection, but they are still at risk of acquiring HSV-2.
HSV-2 is mainly transmitted during sex through contact with genital or anal surfaces, skin, sores or fluids of someone infected with the virus. HSV-2 can be transmitted even if the skin looks normal and is often transmitted in the absence of symptoms.
In rare circumstances, herpes (HSV-1 and HSV-2) can be transmitted from mother to child during delivery, causing neonatal herpes.
HSV-2 infection increases the risk of acquiring HIV infection by approximately three-fold. Additionally, people with both HIV and HSV-2 infection are more likely to spread HIV to others. HSV-2 infection is among the most common infections in people living with HIV.
In immunocompromised people, including those with advanced HIV infection, herpes can have more severe symptoms and more frequent recurrences. Rare complications of HSV-2 include meningoencephalitis (brain infection) and disseminated infection. Rarely, HSV-1 infection can lead to more severe complications such as encephalitis (brain infection) or keratitis (eye infection).
Neonatal herpes can occur when an infant is exposed to HSV during delivery. Neonatal herpes is rare, occurring in an estimated 10 out of every 100 000 births globally. However, it is a serious condition that can lead to lasting neurologic disability or death. The risk for neonatal herpes is greatest when a mother acquires HSV for the first time in late pregnancy.
Antiviral medications – such as acyclovir, famciclovir and valacyclovir – are the most effective medications for people infected with HSV (see WHO recommendations ). These can help to reduce the severity and frequency of symptoms but cannot cure the infection.
People with symptoms of oral herpes should avoid oral contact with others (including oral sex) and sharing objects that touched saliva. Individuals with symptoms of genital herpes should abstain from sexual activity while experiencing symptoms. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are most contagious when sores are present, but can also be transmitted when no symptoms are felt or visible.
For sexually active people, consistent and correct use of condoms is the best way to prevent genital herpes and other STIs. However, HSV infection can still occur through contact with genital or anal areas not covered by the condom. Medical male circumcision can provide life-long partial protection against HSV-2 infection, as well as against HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV).
People with symptoms suggestive of genital herpes should be offered HIV testing.
Pregnant women with symptoms of genital herpes should inform their health care providers. Preventing acquisition of HSV-2 infection is particularly important for women in late pregnancy when the risk for neonatal herpes is greatest.
WHO is working to increase awareness about HSV infection and its symptoms, improve access to antiviral medications, and promote HIV prevention efforts for those with genital herpes, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
WHO and partners are also supporting research to develop new strategies for prevention and control of HSV infections, such as vaccines and topical microbicides.

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Genital herpes is a common STD, and most people with genital herpes infection do not know they have it.

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Home Herpes Facts Herpes Statistics: How Common is Genital Herpes?
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We give you common compassion for a common condition. Our goal is to write researched guides with reputable sources, have them fact-checked by health practitioners, and provide citations where appropriate. New? Start here . Learn more About Us . Or just go straight to our list of useful herpes resources .

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People are often surprised to learn how common genital herpes is. And looking at the data, about 48 million Americans would be in for a surprise if they got tested today. So how common is herpes? These genital herpes statistics focus on HSV-2 rates in the United States. Fortunately, the data also shows that herpes is highly manageable and people who have it can still have healthy love and sex lives.
Medically reviewed by Meagan Fleming, RN on Jan. 1, 2019 — Written by Editorial Staff
Planned Parenthood states that 1 in 6 Americans has genital herpes. ( 1 ) According to the American Sexual Health Organization, close to 90% of Americans don’t know they have genital herpes. ( 2 ) And according to the CDC, the statistic of infected people who don’t know is 87.4%. ( 3 )
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Female genitals are more susceptible to infection due to their exposed soft tissue.
An interesting note about HSV-2 transmission is that it’s often contracted within long-term relationships rather than through other high-risk considerations ( 9 ).
According to studies done by Valtrex, these are the rates of transmission per year of regular sex :
Though this article focuses on genital herpes caused by HSV-2, oral herpes is extremely common. In fact, many cases of genital herpes are caused by oral herpes, nothing more than a cold sore or contagious period that passed to the genitals through oral sex.
The big takeaways from these numbers are that:
1. Herpes is more common than many might think , and a lot of people are unaware they are infected and may not even have symptoms to tip them off. Unfortunately, when clinicians give “standard” STI check-ups, they don’t include tests for HSV-1 or HSV-2, unless it is specifically requested.
2. Many couples have a healthy sex life and still never transmit it to the uninfected partner. Taking precautions like avoiding sex during and around the time of an outbreak, using condoms and taking antiviral medication like valacyclovir (Valtrex) or Acyclovir drastically reduces the likelihood of transmission. The statistics indicate that it’s possible to get your chances of transmitting HSV-2 down to as low as 2.1% with condoms and antiviral medications.
3. Take charge of your sexual health and get regularly screened for STIs. You can specifically request a herpes test if the practitioner does not include it in standard checkups and you feel you need treatment. You can even order tests online:
Note: Not all genital herpes statistics are consistent from study to study. Most say 25% of American women have the virus, and 20% of American males. Other studies show slightly lower numbers. The studies with slightly lower numbers refer to people from 14 to 49 , while the higher number studies are based on all people over 12 . As populations age, there is a higher incidence of STIs.
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Positive Singles is a safe, supportive community to meet others with HSV! Profiles, blogs, forums, Q&As and more. Check it out FREE here .
Herpes is not the end — 3 out of 4 of us have a type. Get common compassion for a common condition. Most articles are medically reviewed. It’s just herpes!
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Information on this site is general in nature and cannot take the place of medical evaluation, diagnoses, and treatment by a health care provider. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

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Bull World Health Organ

v.98(5); 2020 May 1

PMC7265941

Bull World Health Organ. 2020 May 1; 98(5): 315–329.
Published online 2020 Mar 25. doi: 10.2471/BLT.19.237149
Find articles by Laith J Abu-Raddad
Find articles by Katharine J Looker
a Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, England.
b Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar.
c Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, England.
d Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Correspondence to Katharine J Looker (email: ku.ca.lotsirb@rekool.enirahtak ).
Received 2019 May 13; Revised 2020 Jan 21; Accepted 2020 Jan 21.
Copyright (c) 2020 The authors; licensee World Health Organization.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution IGO License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/legalcode ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any reproduction of this article there should not be any suggestion that WHO or this article endorse any specific organization or products. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL.
This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Global and regional estimates of the prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infections by age and sex, 2016
Global and regional estimates of the prevalence of oral herpes simplex virus type 1 infection by age and sex, 2016
Global and regional estimates of the prevalence of genital herpes simplex virus type 1 infection by age and sex, 2016
Global and regional estimates of the incidence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection by age and sex, 2016
Global and regional estimates of the incidence of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection (at any site) by age and sex, 2016
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10. Corey L, Adam
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