Herpes Simplex Virus Present in Nearly Four Billion People Under 50

Oct 29, 2015 05:00 AM EDT

(Photo : Wikipedia) The World Health Organization says two thirds of the world's population, or 3.7 billion people, are infected with the Herpes Simplex virus.

Around two-thirds or roughly 67 percent of the world population under 50 are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), prompting the World Health Organization to issue a health advisory in a bid to protect young people from getting infected before they become sexually active.

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According to WHO's first global estimates of HSV-1 infection, around 3.7 billion people below the age of 50 are infected with the highly contagious and incurable disease.

The WHO has expressed alarm over the large number of infected people worldwide, saying that the priority right now is to focus on young people's accessibility to education and information on the different types of herpes and sexually transmitted diseases.

Herpes simplex virus is categorized into 2 types: herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are highly infectious and incurable.

HSV-1 is primarily transmitted by oral contact and in most cases causes oro-labial herpes or "cold sores" around the mouth. HSV-2 is almost entirely sexually transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, causing genital herpes.

WHO said the new estimates showed that HSV-1 is likewise an important cause of genital herpes with 140 million people aged 15-49 infected, mostly in the Americas, Europe and Western Pacific.

Although WHO cited that fewer children in high-income countries are spared from HSV-1 due to cleanliness and better hygiene, it pointed out that the children are at risk of contracting the infection through oral sex after they become sexually active.

"Access to education and information on both types of herpes and sexually transmitted infections is critical to protect young people's health before they become sexually active," says Dr Marleen Temmerman, Director of WHO's Department of Reproductive Health and Research.

WHO officials estimated that in January of this year alone, around 417 million people aged 15-49 are infected with HSV-2 that causes genital herpes, and lumped together with HSV-1 infections, half a billion people aged 15-49 are infected with either types of the herpes simplex virus.

Temmerman said countries should improve their collection data on the rising rate of both HSV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases.

He added that the WHO and its partners are expediting their work on coming up with HSV vaccines, given the incurability of the infections, to prevent more HSV cases in future.