Passing Genital Herpes without Symptoms infection 10% of the Time!

It's like Russian Roulette! Be safe please.

Asymptomatic HSV-2 Carriers May Transmit Genital Herpes, Study Finds.

The NPR (4/12, Hensley) "Shots" blog reported, "Researchers at the University of Washington have found just how easily people infected with herpes simplex type 2 virus, which causes genital herpes, can unknowingly pass it on to other people." According to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, participants who tested positive for herpes simplex virus type 2 used a swab to collect 'genital secretions' each for 30 consecutive days and kept symptom diaries. The researchers found that "410 people with symptomatic genital herpes and 88 participants who tested positive for infection," showed no symptoms.

        The Time (4/12, Melnick) "Healthland" blog noted that on average, the researchers found those "who had had past herpes outbreaks were infectious 20.1% of the time, while the asymptomatic group was found to be able to transmit the virus 10.2% of time."

        According to the Los Angeles Times (4/12, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog, the analysis, "one of the largest studies to date" of people tested positive for herpes simplex virus type 2, also found that virus presence was detected "at least once in 83.4% of the people with symptomatic infection and in 68.2% of people with asymptomatic herpes." The authors say the study shows that even people with asymptomatic herpes type 2 "can transmit it to a sexual partner."

        CNN Health (4/13, Harding) notes Richard D. Whitley, MD, the University of Alabama and a past president of the Infectious Disease Society of America, who said everyone should determine whether they have HSV-2. In addition to the risk of "unwittingly infecting sexual partners," Dr. Whitley emphasized that "pregnant women with no symptoms can pass on the virus to their babies with devastating consequences for the newborn, including death." Moreover, HSV-2 infection can cause "complications in people who have weakened immune systems due to chronic disease, and it can increase a person's likelihood of contracting HIV."

        The Baltimore Sun (4/12) "Picture of Health" blog reported that the study authors "said condom use, drug therapy and disclosure of the disease to partners can help curb the spread of herpes." HealthDay (4/12, Gardner) pointed out that blood tests to "detect HSV-2 became widely available in 1999, making it easier for people to find out if they have genital herpes even if the infection isn't active." The study was also covered by AFP (4/12), WebMD (4/12, DeNoon), and MedPage Today (4/12, Neale).

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