Let's talk about Sex (well Herpes really)

A report/an abstract was presented last week, although I heard it on the radio a bit later for the first time and I thought about writing about it but got lost in my whining... One of the interesting things would be the large disparity between women and men (most likely because women tend to be more susceptible to STDs and transmission due to our mucosal layer in our private parts...)

Anyway, I was a bit surprised on the numbers of people infected. First, it doesn't look that bad, until you break it down and see something way more disturbing.

So, numbers; 1 in 6 Americans between 14 and 49 is infected with herpes simplex (HSV-2)

Women are more likely to be infected than men - 20.9% compared to 11.5% - almost double the prevalence.

African-Americans are three times more likely to be infected than caucasians - 39.2% compared to 12.3%.

It is when you combine the second and third statement the disturbing statistics come up. Like a very nice Venn diagram I would think? The prevalence of HSV-2 in African-American women is 48%! That is enormously high, imho, when looking at one group of people. Especially when talking about a disease/virus with no cures... and a clear affect on the health of people.

This is also alarming since it has been shown that people infected with HSV-2 (especially women) are more susceptible to HIV infections. (I haven't read up on the causes apart from the fact that HSV affect cells and the immune system which most likely makes the threshold for infectivity by the HIV virion lower. Again, I'm not super sure on the mechanisms behind it, although the papers are there where the linkage of more suceptibility to HIV due to infection of HSV-2 are researched.)

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised really.... probably since the warnings about HSV and infection have traditionally been aimed at men (mostly with a preference to other men) and some women in the "high risk group". Then again, that might have been mainly in my own old country? I did notice that HSV-2 is the first STD in the USA according to the study.

It reminds me a bit about living in Canada and realising Hepatitis B was a big concern as an STD... I was really not use to that. Where I come from I knew it all about chlamydia and condyloma (genital warts caused by some HPV types) and that HSV-1 was a common cause of cold sores.... and that if you as a woman giving birth and had an ongoing HSV-2 infection it could spread to your baby (and the baby would be at risk for a systemic infection and be really sick).

Anyway, I thought about this since where I currently reside there is a high prevalence of teenage pregnancies... and not a high prevalence of condom use (or advocacy for condom use). Heck, the first time I was looking for condoms to buy here I went to five different stores and never saw any.... I ended up at the dodgy gas station where I saw some for sale (by that time I had already visited my home country and brought back some "real tested ones tat I trusted") but I wonder where regular people find them?! My guess would be that the prevalence of HSV-2 is higher where I live than in the middle of the hicks due to this lack of condoms and preaching of safe sex.

Sometimes I just wish we could talk more openly about these things that can be prevented if caution is taken, and that some teenagers would not have to be infected...