genital herpes - prevalences & risks?

[thegamedontwait]

1. I hate to bring this STD question up again and again, I did a search and couldnt find the right information on it.

2. If you're about to say 'prevalences don't matter, as there's always a risk', please just don't say it. Unless, of course, you know there's also a risk associated with getting on an airplane (let alone cars, but I dont wanna go there). Yet you won't play russian roulette or sleep with an HIV positive woman, because that risk is *higher*.

Anyways, what I'm wondering about is the following: I've seen a couple of sources, which say, that genital herpes affects a bit over 20% of young Americans (with similar rates in other countries). Plus it can be transmitted when there are no symptomes. Also condoms arent as effective at preventing it as they are at preventing HIV.

So..I have no idea, but does anybody (plz no wild guesses or opinions) have an idea how many people who have genital herpes dont show any symptomes & how effective condoms are at preventing a transmission?

I mean, wow a bit over 20% does sound a bit scary to me.

But then again if there is some truth to those numbers, wouldn't virtually every prostitute on this planet have genital herpes after a couple of years...?

Also: I know there are two types of herpes with type 2 being the main cause for genital herpes (whereas you can get it from type 1, too). Can you get anything other than the Epstein-Barr-Virus (or very very technically HIV...) or the 'harmless' herpes from kissing? If you catch the type 2 herpes virus through kissing, would that only cause cold sores, too or would that be able to cause genital herpes? I mean does it depend on the type of virus you catch or on 'where' you catch it?

 

[woods]

Just posted this on another thread, but I'll copy it.
I live in Nevada, and believe it or not, the cleanest safest girls are the licensed hookers. Here's how they stay disease free. (not saying its foolproof, but its the safest you can be)

When you're with someone new, ALWAYS take a shower together. Wash each others "area's" with antibacterial soap good. When you're naked, examine her pvssy closely. If you're skeched out about going down, either dont do it, use a dental dam (which I have never done, cuz it seems wierd), or just lick the outside areas and dont stick your tongue inside. It will still turn her on fiercely. Use a condom, obviously. When you're done, rinse your mouth with listerine, and take another shower, or at least wash your privates with antibacterial soap.

That's as safe as you can get, and thats how licensed hookers do it, and from what I understand, they hardly, if ever, catch anything.

 

[Fenderules]

interesting

 

[penkitten]

the herpes threads are located over at the health and fitness forum.

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

Don't rely on looking at the skin and genitals to diagnose an STD.
Even trained doctors with 8 years of school can't give more than a guess in most cases.

Granted, if it has boils, craters, holes, goo, puss, or is dripping it's probably a good idea to stay away.

 

[TruthHurts]

genital herpes originally was type II herpes.. (type I being labial i.e. lip) however its all been switched up do to oral sex..... population carrier is about 80 to 90% However, only a percent of these carriers actually display the symptoms (i.e. herpetic lesion/soar) anyways.. you can be a carrier and unless your having an ongoing break-out a doctor of 1,000,000 years of experience will never know that you have them (specific serum antibody tests have to be made, and even then you cant be sure)...

anyways... unless you catch HIV you have nothing to worry about

i.e. ghonorhea and syphilis is cured by antibodies... Herpes, well take acyclovir for a lesion that breaks out at most twice a year (potentiall 4 times, reduce stress/lifestyle to effect that).. and then there is HPV, cause a wart, which you can freeze off...

in other words... for a man.. its no fear... for a women...

ghonorea/syphilis can cause birth defects, if gets in eye during burth can lead to blindess (make sure to test your wife)..

HPV (human papiloma viurs) causes warts, in the case of women, causes cervical dysplasia which can lead to cancer (hence the presence of pap smears)...

anyways... point is its the HIV that f.ucks you... cause now even the common cold can kill you... So when having sex, only HIV is the one that should scare you... However the method of transfer is important.. i.e. easier to get it via this order

needle>anal>vaginal>male doing a girl in vagina

so if your a male, enjoy

 

[Gangster Of Love]

Yes, 1 out 5 (20%) men, and 1 out 4 (25%) women are infected with the HSV2 virus. Yet, the most alarming stat is one I lifted out of reputable site:

In the USA it is estimated that as many as 50 million Americans are infected with genital herpes. There are 1 million new infections each year. 80-90% of people infected with genital herpes fail to recognize herpes symptoms or have no symptoms at all.


So yes, everything being equal, which it never is, 1 out of 4 women you've slept with has the virus, and most likely doesn't even know it, yet can infect you.

Now, the type of girls you date, their education level, their economic class, etc. play a factor into wether you are at higher or lower risk of sleeping with an infected partner.

Based on those stats, it means 1 out 5males on this site is infected with the virus, and doesn't even know it, because they don't experience break outs.

There are many threads on this subject already, and I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, one of our 20% of infected members (who knows, because of break outs) has often talked about his STD.

BTW, a more mild infection, HPV, is carried pretty much by almost everyone who's had sex before. Very few of the HPV carriers actually develop symptoms, warts, etc.