Herpes cases have declined by 19 percent since a Time cover story declared herpes the "new Scarlet letter" according to a AP article. The AP article also says herpes remains a big problem despite the recent decline.
But herpes is still uncomfortably common. Despite the decline, blood tests of more than 11,000 people found 11 percent of men and 23 percent of women carry the genital herpes, or type 2, virus. Among people in their 20s, the infection rate was almost 11 percent.
Ironically, the rates have dropped back to about where they were when Time ran its cover story, said study co-author Dr. Stuart Berman of the CDC.
"If it was a scarlet letter then, I don't know what you call it now and there’s more HIV around," Berman said. Herpes greatly increases the chances of infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
"It's still an epidemic," said Dr. Tom Cherpes of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who was not involved with the study. "The fact that there’s a trend downward should not be construed by anybody that herpes is under control."
What's really need to greatly reduce herpes is a cure -- a preventive vaccine. Currently, people with herpes have to use antivirals and daily suppressive therapy to supress the virus and shorten or prevent outbreaks. You can read a faq from the CDC that explains more.
