Genital Herpes is something you may not discuss with your friends, however, it is a viral infection that is spreading very fast, with about one million new cases per year.

Receiving the diagnosis of genital herpes can be emotionally challenging with emotions of shame and isolation. And how does one date when having herpes?

Rest assured, that even though Herpes is a life long infection, you are far from alone.

Genital herpes infections occur in about one of every four women in the United States. Men have a slightly lower rate at approximately one in every five men. That means we have about 50 million individuals in the US with genital herpes. That number is rising quickly with an estimated one million new cases per year.

It is the most prevalent viral sexually transmitted disease. Of all these millions of cases, only about 20% are aware, or have been diagnosed with herpes. That means that 80% of those infected with the herpes virus are possibly infecting their partners.

Combining the fact that most do not know that they are infected, with another fact, that the disease can be transmitted even in the absence of symptoms, and it is easy to see how it can spread so rapidly.

Once the initial episode has passed, not everyone will ever have an outbreak again. For those infected with HSV-2, about 80% will have additional outbreaks, and those infected with the HSV-1 will have a 50% risk of having additional episodes. Typically, the number of outbreaks is about 4-5 per year.

While Herpes does have a characteristic look, there are other conditions that have a similar appearance. If you suspect that you may have herpes, getting a proper diagnosis by a medical practitioner is the first step.