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U.S. Herpes
_rates remain
__high – CDC
By JoAnne Allen
____March 9th, 2010
REUTERS.COM
About 16 percent of Americans
between the ages of 14 and 49
are infected with genital herpes,
making it one of the most
common sexually
transmitted diseases,
U.S. health officials
said on Tuesday.
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Black women had the
highest rate of infection at
48 percent and women were
nearly twice likely as men
to be infected,
according to an analysis
by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
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About 21 percent of women
were infected with genital
herpes,
compared to only
11.5 percent of men,
while 39 percent of blacks
were infected compared to
about 12 percent for whites,
the CDC said.
There is no cure
for genital herpes,
or herpes simplex
virus type 2 (HSV-2),
which can cause
recurrent and painful
genital sores and also
increases the likelihood
of acquiring and
transmitting the
AIDS virus.
It is related to herpes
simplex virus 1,
or oral herpes,
which causes
cold sores.
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Several drugs are available
to treat herpes symptoms
and outbreaks,
including acyclovir,
which is available
generically or under
the Zovirax brand name,
and valacyclovir,
known generically
as Valtrex —
both made by
GlaxoSmithKline
PLC (GSK.L).
Ganciclovir,
sold as Zirgan,
is made by privately-held
Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.
The CDC estimates that
more than 80 percent of
people with genital herpes do
not know they are infected.
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“The message is
herpes is quite common.
The symptoms can be
often very innocuous,”
Dr. John Douglas of the
CDC said in a teleconference.
“Because herpes is so
prevalent it becomes …
a really important reason
to use condoms on a
consistent and correct
basis with all of your partners,”
Douglas said.
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Douglas said the increased
rate of infection in blacks
is not do to increased risk
behavior but likely due to
biological factors that make
women more susceptible
as well as the higher rate
of infection within black
communities.
The CDC estimates that
there are 19 million new
sexually transmitted disease
infections every year in the
United States,
costing the health care
system about $16 billion
annually.
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