Herpes Infects One in Six Americans

Around 16 percent of Americans between 14 and 49 have genital herpes, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc) on Tuesday. Black women are the most at risk, of whom nearly half have the sexually transmitted infection (sti).

An estimated 19 million people a year in the U.S. become infected with some form of std. Half are young people. “It is unacceptable that stds remain such a widespread public health problem in the United States today,” said director of the National Center for hiv/aids, Viral Hepatitis, std and TB Prevention at the cdc, Dr. Kevin Fenton.

Genital herpes, or herpes simplex virus type 2 (hsv-2), has no cure, lasts a lifetime, and those infected with it are more likely to contract or spread aids. Eighty percent of those who have it are unaware of their condition—meaning they can unintentionally spread it to others, according to the cdc. “hsv-2 is a public health challenge that we, as a nation, cannot afford to ignore,” said Dr. Fenton.

The infection rate of hsv-2 has remained steady since the last survey—done from 1999 to 2004. It has fallen from 21 percent for the years 1988 to 1994.

The prevalence of such a disease shows there is something wrong with the way society views sex. Diseases caused by premarital sex can wreck a person’s life. For more information on how to keep safe from these diseases, and why God commands sex only within marriage, see our article “Sexual Health: What Every High School and College Student Needs to Know.”