If you think you are alone think again. The 2015 statistics show otherwise.
In the United Sates, 25 percent of Americans live with an incurable STD. There are 500,000 new cases of genital herpes each year in the United States. The annual cost associated with genital herpes is a whopping $250,000.000!
16.2 percent of Americans age 14-49 have genital herpes and 80 percent of adults have oral herpes or cold sores. Think about that for a second and realize that almost everyone around you has experienced a form of herpes.
We can break this down a little further by looking at the fact that 20 percent of women are infected with genital herpes compared to just 11 percent of men. This shows us that women are much more at risk then men.
Ladies are you wondering why your risk is so much greater? Thank your vagina– the lining of the vagina is thinner and more delicate than the skin on a penis so it make it easier for viruses and bacteria to penetrate. The vagina also creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and flourish.
The statistics also show that while 39.2 percent of African Americans are infected with genital herpes only 12.3 percent of Caucasians are infected. There is not a real clear answer as to why African Americans are at such a higher risk.
The studies show that, in conjunction with the statistics of women being at a higher risk, African American women have the highest of all risks. They mostly account this to the number of people who are infected and don’t know it. Which leads to the next shocking statistic; 80 percent of those with herpes are unaware they are infected! Again, that is nearly everyone who is infected. This is a result of women who have outbreaks inside the vagina and are therefore unaware or the fact that only 10% of people infected actually have an outbreak. If you are infected but showing no symptoms you are still contagious 10% of the time. This means that it is important to get tested so that you are not unknowingly increasing these statistics.
