Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most individuals have no or only minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. When signs do occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak. Although the infection can stay in the body indefinitely, the number of outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years.   ...more...

Facts       

• 
• Fact Sheet    (en español)
• STDs and Pregnancy - CDC Fact Sheet.   (en español)

Statistics

• STD Surveillance 2008 - Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Herpes
• Genital herpes — Initial visits to physicians' offices: United States, 1966–2007 (Figure 47)
• Genital Herpes - Herpes simplex virus, type 2, seroprevalence in non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks by age group reported from national surveys, 1976–1980, 1988–1994, 1999–2004  (Figure 48)
• Genital herpes — Selected STDs and complications —Initial visits to physicians' offices, National Disease and Therapeutic Index: United States, 1966–2008 (Table 43)
• QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged 20--29 Years with Genital Herpes Infection, by Race/Ethnicity --- National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, United States, 1988--1994, 1999--2002, and 2003--2006 - MMWR February 27, 2009
• Tracking the Hidden Epidemics - Trends 2000: Herpes (1999 data)

Treatment

• CDC 2006 Treatment Guidelines
  • Special Populations - Pregnant Women
  • Diseases Characterized by Genital Ulcers
    • Genital HSV Infections

Other Resources

• HIV Transmission Among Black Women --- North Carolina, 2004 - MMWR February 4, 2005
• Proposed Approaches for Herpes Prevention - Report of the Genital Herpes Prevention Consultants' Meeting (18 September 1998)

Archive

• STD Surveillance 2007 - Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Herpes
• Genital herpes — Initial visits to physicians' offices: United States, 1966–2007 (Figure 45)
• Herpes simplex virus, type 2, seroprevalence in non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks by age group reported from national surveys, 1976–1980, 1988–1994, 1999–2004  (Figure 46)
• Genital herpes — Selected STDs and complications —Initial visits to physicians' offices, National Disease and Therapeutic Index: United States, 1966–2007 (Table 42)

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Page last modified: November 18, 2009
Page last reviewed: November 18, 2009
Content Source: Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention