Surprisingly, nearly two-thirds of the world's population is infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), based on a recent report stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO researchers found that there are almost 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 who are infected with HSV-1, which is best known as a cause of cold sores.
A total of 417 million people worldwide aged 15-49 have HSV-2, the type which is most often knows as a sexually transmitted disease. But did you know that about 140 million adults have genital infections caused by HSV-1, which means about half a billion people could sexually transmit either virus.
While this news may be shocking, don't freak out just yet. Herpes has been seriously labelled as something horrendous for years, but the truth is, if you don't have one type of herpes yet, there is a very big chance for you to be exposed to it eventually.
Below, we break down 3 big myths about this common infection. Here's what you need to know.
Myth: Cold sores and genital sores are way different
Raquel Dardik, MD, a clinical associate professor at NYU Langone's Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health, explained that many people still wrongfully believe in the idea that cold sores don't count as "real" herpes. This big misconception comes from the general sequence of the two types.
While it's true that in most cases, HSV-1 may affect mouths, and HSV-2 usually shows in symptoms on the genitals, it only takes either one of these viruses to spread through skin-to-skin-contact. This means that sores from either one can be seen anywhere on the body.
Myth: I've never had an outbreak, so I definitely don't have herpes
Sadly, the inadequate number of a visible outbreak doesn't mean you're already herpes-free. Many people infected with the virus don't experience an outbreak, according to Mary Rosser, MD, PhD, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Montefiore Medical Center. And when they usually do, it isn't usually recognized. This explains why, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 87.4% of people with the virus are clueless about their condition.
Myth: Well, I got tested for STDs recently, so I still know I'm in the clear
Even if you've been super-responsible about getting tested for STD, that's still not significant to herpes. The guidelines from the CDC don't advice testing for the virus, so it's basically not included in the routine "STD tests." This is because a blood test for herpes only tells you whether you've been exposed to the virus, explains Dr. Dardik, MD.
To complicate things further, the herpes virus is typically similar to the virus that causes shingles and chicken pox, so if you've had either of those, that can often alter your results as well, Dr. Rosser adds.
So now you're asking how to know if you have herpes? The best answer is to wait until you have an outbreak of lesions. Then your doctor can run some tests on the sores or lesions to determine whether it is in fact herpes, and what type you're dealing with.
