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Two-thirds of the world's population under 50 have the highly infectious herpes virus that causes cold sores around the mouth, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, in its first estimate of global prevalence of the disease.
More than 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 suffer from the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), usually after catching it in childhood, according to a the WHO study.
That is in addition to 417 million people in the 17-49 age range who have the other form of the disease, HSV-2, which causes genital herpes.
According to TechInsider :
One of the biggest issues is that public-health efforts have focused primarily on preventing HSV-2 infections, the researchers write, not HSV-1 infections. But the latter can actually pose more serious risks than just cold sores.
What's more, according to the new report, is that sexually transmitted HSV-1 is on the rise, especially in the Americas, Europe, and the Western Pacific.
Aside from those cold sores, HSV-1 is the most common cause of sporadic encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). And while this brain infection is very rare, it kills more than 50% of those infected if left untreated, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The original WHO study was published on October 28, in the journal Plos One.
(Score: 2) by mendax on Monday November 02 2015, @09:13PM
I used to get the cold sores all the time, but on my gums right at the base of my teeth. You can imagine what flossing and Stim-u-dent toothpicks did to them. Bled like a stuck pig. But I've been clear of them now for many years. Very strange.
Incidentally, not only is the chicken pox virus similar to the herpes virus. So is the virus that causes mononucleosis. I've had both and I can tell you I prefer the chicken pox. Mono is no fun, unless you like being tired all the time, keeping the same hours and sleeping habits as your cat.
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Monday November 02 2015, @10:59PM
I had them all before I hit 21. Only found out about it when they drew my blood for a routine exam.
The nurses at that clinic been giving me the dirty looks and naughty smiles ever since... Which would have been fine if they weren't mostly from the male staff :/
Still, I never felt more proud :D
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(Score: 2) by mendax on Tuesday November 03 2015, @02:48AM
I assume they were smiling because you had mono, the "kissing disease". Now if it were herpes maybe both sexes would be smiling at you, especially if they found the warts or lesions somewhere other than your mouth, but where another person's mouth on occasion ventures. ;-)
It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Wednesday November 04 2015, @01:46AM
Nah... Not only I didn't show any symptoms, when I got back from leave, over half my unit were tested positive for either or both. Well, the base doctor didn't even flinch. Though I'm guessing he was mostly relieved at that point considering the previous year's triple outbreaks of base wide dysentery... 0_o
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