Originally published August 6 2005
Too many people lack education about herpes
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Because of other diseases in the national headlines like AIDS, too many youngsters are not being taught about the dangers of less serious STDs like herpes.
Herpes - the scourge of sexually active youths during the 1980s - has gone underground.
"It's still causing problems for millions of people and still a leading STD [sexually transmitted disease]," said Charlie Ebel, co- author of a preeminent handbook on genital herpes and board chairman of the International Herpes Alliance.
The virus can be spread through oral or genital contact, invading the body through a crack in the skin or through mucus membranes.
After that, most people get about four outbreaks per year, often triggered by stress, though a minority suffer more frequent recurrences.
If it sounds a lot like cold sores, there's good reason: One strain of herpes typically causes mouth lesions, the other, genital lesions, though oral sex often leaves sores in either spot from either virus.
Exactly how many people have the disease is unknown because unlike syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, states don't collect data on herpes.
Even if it were collected, precise figures would be elusive because studies have shown that up to 80 percent of people who test positive for herpes antibodies may have symptoms so mild that they fail to recognize them, or may have no symptoms at all.
To counter the fear and isolation that sometimes follows diagnosis, many turn to the Internet: medical sites, support groups (Yahoo's is called Picking up the Pieces) and herpes dating services (such as Meet People With Herpes or www.mpwh.com).
In the past several years, antiviral drugs have become available, reducing the number of outbreaks and shortening their duration.
To suppress the virus long-term, cutting the number of outbreaks by 75 percent, people typically remain on the drugs indefinitely.
But the cost for people without health insurance can be prohibitive: one of the most effective herpes drugs costs $150 for a one-month supply.
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