What is herpes?

Herpes is a family of viruses that cause genital herpes, cold sores, chicken pox and shingles.

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) is the most common of the herpes family of viruses. It occurs in two forms:

• Herpes simplex virus type 1 ( HSV-1 Glossary: HSV-1
  Herpes simplex virus type 1. The virus that usually causes cold sores. ), which usually causes cold sores
• Herpes simplex virus type 2 ( HSV-2 Glossary: HSV-2
  Herpes simplex virus type 2. The virus that usually causes genital herpes. ), which usually causes genital herpes

Genital herpes is usually caused by HSV-2 , but is increasingly being caused by HSV-1 because of the rising popularity of oral sex.

Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted disease ( STI Glossary: STI
A sexually transmitted infection. ). It is so common that 1 in 8 adult Australians have it.

Eighty per cent of people who have genital herpes are unaware that they have it. This means that the virus can be unintentionally passed on. In fact, 70 per cent of people with genital herpes report getting it from a partner who did not have an outbreak at the time of sexual contact (via viral shedding Glossary: Viral shedding
The shedding of the herpes virus from the skin surface – even if there are no symptoms present. ) which highlights the importance of getting regularly tested for STIs.

• Genital herpes is a common STI
• It can be transmitted through vaginal sex, oral sex and anal sex
• 1 in 8 Australian adults have genital herpes
• Genital herpes is twice as common in adult women (1 in 6) as in adult men (1 in 12)
• It is most prevalent in women aged 35 - 44 years
• Genital herpes is more common amongst adults living in metropolitan areas than in rural areas
• It is more common within Indigenous communities (18%) than in non-Indigenous communities (12%)