CDC Analysis of National Herpes Prevalence Some recent media
reports have questioned the accuracy of CDC’s latest report on
national herpes prevalence (herpes simplex virus type 2, or
HSV-2). HSV-2 is a lifelong and incurable infection that can
cause recurrent and painful genital sores and can make those
infected with the virus two-to-three times more likely to
acquire HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The latest HSV-2 data –
announced at CDC’s National STD Conference in Atlanta on March
9, 2010, and published today in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report (MMWR) – indicates that overall national HSV-2
prevalence remains high (16.2%) and that the disease continues
to disproportionately burden African-Americans (39.2%
prevalence), particularly black women (48.0% prevalence), who
face a number of factors putting them at greater risk, including
higher community prevalence and biological factors that put
women of all races at greater risk for HSV-2 than men. While
these findings may be surprising to some – t