Genital Herpes Facts Washington DC

1. Some studies show that as many as two-thirds of people infected with genital herpes don't know they are infected because they have no visible or no recognized symptoms.

2. Although transmission to infants is rare (only five percent of women with herpes pass the infection on to their babies), genital herpes causes death or neurological damage in nearly half of untreated newborns who become infected at birth.

3. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of genital herpes infections are caused by HSV-1 (oral herpes), primarily resulting from oral-genital sex.

4. As many as half of infected persons who have recurrent episodes will experience localized tingling and irritation at the site of infection, usually 12 to 24 hours prior to an outbreak. Recurrences average two to six per year but vary widely.

5. Preventive therapy decreases the frequency and severity of recurrent outbreaks by about 90 percent. However, therapy doesn't significantly reduce the frequency of recurrences once it is stopped. Recurrence also tends to lessen in intensity and duration over time.

6. Without treatment, recurrent infections usually last five to 10 days.

7. The first episode of infection, called the primary outbreak, is usually the most severe.

8. Although herpes vaccine research is being conducted, no vaccine is currently available.

For the rest of this article, questions to ask your health care professional, information on diagnosis, treatment, prevention and more, click here.

Author: Editorial Staff of the National Women's Health Resource Center