Genital Herpes

Almost 16 percent of Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 are infected with genital herpes, making it one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.

Black women had the highest rate of infection at 48 percent and women were nearly twice likely as men to be infected, according to an analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 21 percent of women were infected with genital herpes, compared to only 11.5 percent of men, while 39 percent of blacks were infected compared to about 12 percent 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 percent 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 women is not due to increased risk behavior.

“As with other STDs, biological factors may make women more susceptible to HSV-2 infection.

“Additionally, racial disparities in HSV-2 infection are likely perpetuated because of the higher prevalence of infection within African-American communities, placing African-Americans at greater risk of being exposed to herpes with any given sexual encounter,” the CDC said in a statement.

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 $16 billion annually.

Source: Reuters

Tags: Featured News, genital herpes

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There are different medications on the market today for herpes and new ones that are being invented on a regular basis. There are hopes that a cure will soon come but in the meantime, we have to work with what we have.

Two famous herpes medications are famiclovir/Famvir and Acyclovir. These are given sometimes for both oral and genital types of herpes. Both are antiviral medications used to help treat and suppress the herpes virus. You should talk to your doctor if you are interested in one of these medications.

Herpes medication doesn’t work for everyone. One type of medication may work for one person and not for another. Sometimes it is a process of trial and error to find what will work for you. The type of herpes you have can also play a role in this and the medication that you are prescribed.

Some people decide they want to try natural or homeopathic treatment methods to help with their herpes symptoms. While this still isn’t a cure, many people find it to be a great treatment option that can eliminate their symptoms and prevent outbreak.

With so many different herpes medicine options out there, you need to do your research properly before you pick one for you. You may want to talk to your doctor about what options are best for you. If you are currently taking other types of medication or if you have other health conditions, you need to get the advice of your doctor before taking anything, even over the counter treatment.

Now that you know more about herpes medication, you can be more informed when it comes to choosing your own treatment options. You should always work with your doctor on this and never try to self-medicate yourself or take a prescription that was given to someone else.

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Sometimes people just like the confirmation that what they are experiencing is normal. When they can see that someone else has a similar outbreak or they see pictures of an outbreak that resembles what they have experienced themselves it can help them feel better about their own outbreak. Since herpes can vary from outbreak to outbreak, some people get confused with one outbreak is different than previous ones they have had.

So this is why pictures can help you to know what herpes might look like for someone else. You can then understand why yours might look different. This is great for anyone with herpes to understand what others with the virus also look like.

Keep in mind with pictures of herpes that everyone can experience herpes in a different way. Your outbreaks might be different than that of another person or they can look different with a difference in age, skin tone and other factors. This is why it is very important that you get officially tested for herpes if you have not been. This is the only way to be 100% certain you have the herpes virus. You should never rely on pictures alone as a diagnosis.

Now that you know more about pictures of herpes, you are prepared to do what it takes to find your own pictures if needed. Maybe you want to donate your photos of herpes to a herpes information site so that others can see them and know what herpes can look like.

Tags: Featured News, Genital Herpes Pictures, Herpes Information

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