Research released today shows that people with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) experience viral shedding ten percent of the time in spite of not having symptoms or genital lesions, suggesting a high risk of transmission. The study will be published in the April 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 is one of the most frequent sexually transmitted infections in the world, with global estimates of 536 million infected persons and an annual incidence of 23.6 million cases among persons aged 15 to 49 years.
In the United States, 16 percent of adults are HSV-2 positive, but only 10 percent to 25 percent of persons with infectionshave recognized genital herpes. Moreover, most infections are acquired from persons without a clinical history of genital herpes.
The researchers identified several methods that partly reduce the risk of HSV-2 transmission to sexual partners. "Condom use, daily valacyclovir therapy, and disclosure of HSV-2 serostatus each approximately halve the risk of HSV-2 transmission," according to the researchers.
For more information: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Reference: JAMA. 2011;305[14]1441-1449
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