Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

If chances of herpes is 1 in 1000 then how come so many people have it

Just thought this would be a useful question. I read Dr Handfields response on a few forumns regarding herpes.

He stated that chances of catching it were 1 in 1000 if the other person was known to be affected. I mean this is quite a lot possibility. He went on to say for a single exposure with a condom it has a effect of around 80-90% additional prevention. So a person who has intercourse with an affected person while wearing a condom has about a 1 in 8-9000 chance of catching the virus.

With these figures and the many responses stating how difficult it is to catch it throws me to hear that 1 in every 5 americans have it. Something about these 2 statistics don't add up.

I would really need to have unprotected sex with 1000 women to be liable of catching this which seems a very high number.

How can these 2 stats be compared in that case. Perhaps one is a UK stat and the other an American?
1 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
15249123 tn?1478652475
There is a recent research paper stating condoms protect the female up to 96%.
There was a study done on twenty couples where one person has hsv2 the other did not. These couples averaged sex three times a week. No protection and no antivirals. The only protection was to obstain while an active outbreak was going on. This went on for a full year. At the end of the year one couple out of twenty passed the virus to their partner.
I have never had a person on this forum get hsv from a single protected encounter. There are a lot of unprotected hook ups going on every day. Millions upon millions a week. Do the math.
Obviously if your in a relationship with someone with hsv your odds are higher as you are exposed more often. Yes hsv is common but no were near as common as say hpv which every sexually active person can expect to get atleast one strain of the virus.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.