# How widespread in genital herpes in the U.S.?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widespread-in-genital-herpes-in-the-u-s/303775>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 14, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widespread-in-genital-herpes-in-the-u-s/303775 "2005-05-14T01:08:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widespread-in-genital-herpes-in-the-u-s/303775/1 "2005-05-14T01:08:58Z")

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Basically, like the title says. How widespread is genital herpes in the U.S.? I wasn’t sure how to Google this, which is why I turned to the Dope…

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widespread-in-genital-herpes-in-the-u-s/303775/2 "2005-05-14T02:07:39Z")

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The [Centers for Disease Control](http://www.cdc.gov/) generally knows this stuff. This is from their [factsheet on genital herpes](http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm#common):

> [@](#):
>
> Results of a nationally representative study show that genital herpes infection is common in the United States. Nationwide, at least 45 million people ages 12 and older, or one out of five adolescents and adults, have had genital HSV infection. Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, the number of Americans with genital herpes infection increased 30 percent.
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> Genital HSV-2 infection is more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men (almost one out of five). This may be due to male-to-female transmissions being more likely than female-to-male transmission.

Quite alarming. :eek:

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widespread-in-genital-herpes-in-the-u-s/303775/3 "2005-05-14T07:24:50Z")

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Note that AFAIK, Genital Herpes and “cold sore” Herpes are caused by the same virus- just the outbreak area is different. Thus, in reality, almost every adult in the USA has been infected.

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-widespread-in-genital-herpes-in-the-u-s/303775/4 "2005-05-14T07:55:52Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Note that AFAIK, Genital Herpes and “cold sore” Herpes are caused by the same virus- just the outbreak area is different. Thus, in reality, almost every adult in the USA has been infected.

There are two closely related viruses - HSV types I and II. Historically, type I has been responsible for cold sores and type II has been responsible for genital herpes, but in recent years, it’s become more common to see them swapping places through oral sex.