WEDNESDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Overall, about one in six Americans in the 14 to 49 age group is infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), with higher rates found among women and African-Americans, according to the results of a nationwide survey released March 9 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The statistics come from the CDC's 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a nationwide representative survey of U.S. households. Analyzed by gender, the survey found HSV-2 prevalence was 20.9 percent in women and 11.5 percent in men. By race, the prevalence was 39.2 percent in African-Americans and 12.3 percent in Caucasians. The highest prevalence was 48 percent in African-American women. Overall, the prevalence was similar to the previous national estimate of 17 percent for 1999 to 2004.
Further, the CDC said that more than 80 percent of people with HSV-2 are unaware of the infection, which increases the risk they will transmit it to others; and, that people with herpes are two to three times more likely to acquire HIV.
"This study serves as a stark reminder that herpes remains a common and serious health threat in the United States. Everyone should be aware of the symptoms, risk factors, and steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of this lifelong and incurable infection," Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a statement.
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