Herpes by the Numbers: Understanding the Latest Data & What It Means for You
Have you ever heard how herpes is just SO common?
“Don’t worry, everyone has it!” This statement is often shared when someone is delivering a herpes diagnosis. While well-intended, this can either leave you feeling even more isolated because you don’t know anyone else with herpes or in a deep search for more data.
I find that a lot of people become attached to the social identity of their infection—whether it’s HSV-1 or HSV-2. Socially, HSV-1 is “better” because it’s “not that kind of herpes.” This isn’t true, and is just another tactic used to reinforce STI stigma.
Many people also don’t realize that HSV-1, the virus that causes cold sores, can also be passed genitally.
Late last year, @who provided some interesting data about both HSV-1 AND HSV-2, and just how many people are living with them.
📌 An estimated 1 in 5 adults has genital herpes
📌376 million have genital HSV-1 (nearly doubled since 2016)
📌520 million people aged 15-49 worldwide are living with HSV-2
I believe GHSV-1 infections likely doubled for a number of reasons, including a lack of health education, not having or recognizing symptoms, and not talking about it with partners.
If you want to know more about how researchers arrived at these estimates or my deeper analysis and how it impacts your dating life, be sure to check out the Substack, “Herpes by the Numbers: How the Latest Data Impacts You.”