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Herpes statistics are totally unreliable!!!


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It drives me crazy when I see these statistics about the rates of infection.

Women to men 4% - Men to women 8%

With condoms Women to men 2% and Men to women 4%

Wth condoms and medication - Women to men 1% and Men to women 2%

 

DO NOT TRUST THESE NUMBERS!!!! THEY ARE VERY INNACURATE.

There is not enough research in this area and these numbers came from a national sensus that does not take into consideration at the data related to the infection. For example, the genital rates number only come from HSV 2 infection and they don't take into consideration the infections caused by HSV 1 and we know that most genital infections are being caused by HSV 1 these days.

Also, we have no idea of how many people out there are infected because most of them don't have symptons and herpes testing is not part of the standard STD testing and many people don't even know that that's an option and doctors usually don't mention it when patients ask for STD testing. I think that this is outrageous because we know that being exposed to the infection is devastating emotionally for most people and, for some people it can by a true nightmare and it is very dangerours during pregnancy and the government, FDA and drug companies don't think it's a big deal.

There won't be more accurate results until they get a bigger poll of people getting tested.

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This is why I went to the CDC website to get their email and politely asked for them to make it a standard test for STDs. If it had been standard myself and thousands of others would not be currently infected. They are called the Center for Disease CONTROL. For them to not recommend it be included in STD screening is unacceptable. HSV causes emotional trauma, risk to pregnancy, and, for many, severe physical pain.

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This is why I went to the CDC website to get their email and politely asked for them to make it a standard test for STDs. If it had been standard myself and thousands of others would not be currently infected. They are called the Center for Disease CONTROL. For them to not recommend it be included in STD screening is unacceptable. HSV causes emotional trauma, risk to pregnancy, and, for many, severe physical pain.

 

Absolutely!!!

Their info is so incredibly misleading that we are all in the dark and that is the truth! I keep thinking of time when I might have to disclose to someone who does not have it and what will I tell them?!?!

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By assuming the responsibility of actually getting tested for herpes even though I didn't have the classic symptoms and didn't know at the time my partner was infected, given the relative uneliability of the test, I could see why some people wouldn't ever test for herpes. Still, if someone knows they've been exposed, then they need to be tested so they are not making someone else's health decision for them. As someone pointed out I'm actually probably safer with the diagnosis and taking the proper precautions than someone who has never been tested.

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On the other hand, we see many false results here and people thinking their life is over just because their blood contains hsv1 antibodies. It may well cause more confusion and grief than it would prevent, not to mention the cost.

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On the other hand, we see many false results here and people thinking their life is over just because their blood contains hsv1 antibodies. It may well cause more confusion and grief than it would prevent, not to mention the cost.

Most other infections are covered in the basic panel and they are all ,except for HIV, curable. Why not herpes that has no cure and we, the ones infected, often did not have a choice/chance to protect ourselves or pass it on to others.

I think the test should at least ALWAYS be offered AND ENCOURAGED! Even for people to be even more aware of the risk of safer sex and the risk to being infected or passing on the disease. The doctor that diagnosed me didn't say anything and just because I was asking when he left the room, he said that I was going to have flu symptoms. There is so much ignorance in the medical community. It's not even funny!

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On the other hand, we see many false results here and people thinking their life is over just because their blood contains hsv1 antibodies. It may well cause more confusion and grief than it would prevent, not to mention the cost.

Most other infections are covered in the basic panel and they are all ,except for HIV, curable. Why not herpes that has no cure and we, the ones infected, often did not have a choice/chance to protect ourselves or pass it on to others.

I think the test should at least ALWAYS be offered AND ENCOURAGED! Even for people to be even more aware of the risk of safer sex and the risk to being infected or passing on the disease. The doctor that diagnosed me didn't say anything and just because I was asking when he left the room, he said that I was going to have flu symptoms. There is so much ignorance in the medical community. It's not even funny!

 

The cost is not that high either and again, why do they pay for other STD's and not herpes?!?!

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I think the fact that there's no cure is more of an argument against screening. So they find out 16% of the population have it.. all those people suffer the same psychological anguish that we all went through, yet the doctor says 'yea, so now you know... bye'. In the UK, the health service is government (under)funded and overloaded -- they cant afford to fund an unreliable test, that will quite often show results in the equivocal range, or give a false result. Also, 50% of new genital cases are hsv1, but almost everyone is positive for that after a blood test. HIV is different since the test is 99% reliable after a few weeks, plus it's life-threatening. HPV can also be life threatening, and fortunately the smear test is pretty reliable can be done at any time.

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I think the fact that there's no cure is more of an argument against screening. So they find out 16% of the population have it.. all those people suffer the same psychological anguish that we all went through, yet the doctor says 'yea, so now you know... bye'. In the UK, the health service is government (under)funded and overloaded -- they cant afford to fund an unreliable test, that will quite often show results in the equivocal range, or give a false result. Also, 50% of new genital cases are hsv1, but almost everyone is positive for that after a blood test. HIV is different since the test is 99% reliable after a few weeks, plus it's life-threatening. HPV can also be life threatening, and fortunately the smear test is pretty reliable can be done at any time.

We will have to agree to disagree. There is no cure because there is not enough incentive for a cure so the more people the bigger the incentive for them to do something about it. There is a HUGE stigma attached to this and, again, a major way to diminish that would be by increasing public awareness of the problem. Also, it probably wouldn't be such a huge anguish if we knew more about the problem. the numbers are not 16%, that's what you think they are. I met with 2 doctors specialists in the field and they agreed that numbers are much higher than that...they all know that, especially as we age. It just goes on and on and on.... The bottom line is that I believe that knowledge is power and there is a lot of power in numbers. Everybody looses by the status quo on the issue.

For me, it's a true nightmare. I've had quite a few health problems due to this. I can't imagine telling anybody about these numbers because I know they are a lie. I don't want to ever pass this on to someone else. I already had other health issues and life circumstances that were very difficult prior to this and I feel so incredibly exposed by having to revel and talk about this with anybody that I may want to date in the future, etc, etc.... I would not want to date someone who has herpes!

 

 

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Terri Warren says those transmission rates at the top of this post are inaccurate because the tests were done on couples in long term committed relationships; the transmission rate is likely much higher because the first 3 months of a sexual relationship are the most likely for it to be transmiited. Those couples doing the test would be beyond that, so preumably the one who is not yet infected has a relative immunity to the disease.

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