Worldwide around 846 million people aged between 15 and 49 are living with genital herpes infections – more than 1 in 5 of this age-group globally. Annually, 42 million people is estimated to acquire a new genital herpes infection.
For the most part, these infections cause no or few symptoms. However, for some people they lead to painful genital sores and blisters that can recur throughout life, causing significant discomfort and often requiring multiple healthcare visits.
According to the publication in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, it states that new treatments and vaccines are needed to reduce adverse health effects of the herpes virus and control its spread.
Currently, there is no cure for herpes, although treatments can relieve symptoms. In addition to sores, genital herpes can also on occasion lead to serious complications, including neonatal herpes – a rare condition most likely to occur when a mother acquires the infection for the first time in late pregnancy and then transmits the virus to her baby during childbirth.
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that causes painful blisters and sores around the genitals
There are two types of the herpes simplex virus (HSV), known as HSV-1 and HSV-2, both of which can lead to genital herpes. The journal revealed that, 520 million people in 2020 had genital HSV-2, which is transmitted during sexual activity.
From a public health perspective, genital HSV-2 is more serious since it is substantially more likely to cause recurrent outbreaks, accounts for around 90% of symptomatic episodes, and is linked to a three-fold increased risk of getting HIV.
Unlike HSV-2, HSV-1 primarily spreads during childhood through saliva or skin to skin contact around the mouth to cause oral herpes, with cold sores or mouth ulcers the most common symptoms.
In those without previous infection, however, HSV-1 can be acquired through sexual contact to cause genital infection in adolescence or adulthood. Some 376 million people are estimated to have had genital HSV-1 infections in 2020.
Correct and consistent use of condoms reduces risks of herpes transmission. People with active symptoms should avoid sexual contact with other people, since herpes is most contagious when sores are present.
WHO recommends that people with symptoms of genital herpes should be offered HIV testing and if needed, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention.