Herpes Simplex Type 1 and Type 2

Herpes Simplex Type 1 and Type 2

WHO: Most People Have Herpes

http://www.dailyrxnews.com/herpes-simplex-virus-type-1-infection-present-two-thirds-people-under-50-worldwide

People often throw around outrageous, probably inaccurate STD statistics as cautionary tales. But the World Health Organization (WHO) just released a stat that is really turning heads.

More than two-thirds of all people younger than 50 are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), WHO estimates in a new report. That's 3.7 billion people.

Now, HSV-1 isn't the one that usually causes genital herpes — that's HSV-2. HSV-1 is the one usually found above the belt, the one that causes "cold sores" near the mouth.

But HSV-1 can cause genital herpes. According to WHO, an estimated 140 million people between 15 and 49 years old have genital HSV-1 infections. Both types of the herpes virus can be transmitted through different kinds of sex, and both are incurable.