...of the Westover Heights Clinic in Portland, Ore., specializing in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. "When people have a lifelong STD, they feel dirty, damaged, and unapproachable. Most people have a dramatic drop in self-esteem."

Curtis Phinney of Rockville, Md., was devastated when he first discovered he had genital herpes. "I was very interested in finding a new successful long-term monogamous relationship," says Phinney, who had been divorced before he became infected. "I was having difficulty as it was. With herpes I thought it would be impossible. I thought I was unlovable, untouchable, undesirable."

Genital herpes is on the rise. Since the late 1970s, the number of Americans infected with the virus has increased 30 percent to about 45 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Genital herpes infects more than 1 of 5 adolescents and adults, the CDC says. It is more common in blacks than in whites, and more likely to infect women than men. Compared to 20 years ago, it's about rive times more common in 12- to 19-year-old whites and twice as common in adults ages 20 to 29.

The scary part is that most people with genital herpes don't know they have it, and are unaware they may be spreading it to others, says Warren. Many have no symptoms or mistake their symptoms for something else, such as jock itch, insect bites, hemorrhoids, yeast infections, razor burn, or allergies to laundry detergent.

Of even greater concern is growing evidence that people with genital herpes are at greater risk of getting HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) if they have unprotected sex with someone infected with HIV. And HIV-infected people who are also infected with genital herpes may have more frequent and severe outbreaks and their episodes may be more difficult to treat.

In the past, genital herpes was diagnosed solely by visual inspection and laboratory culture of an active sore. Herpes may now be diagnosed with a blood test, even when no symptoms are apparent or after sores have healed. And while there is no cure for herpes, antiviral drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration that greatly reduce the frequency of outbreaks and shorten their duration and severity.

What is Genital Herpes?

Genital herpes, a sexually transmitted disease (STD), is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV is in the same family of viruses that causes chickenpox, shingles and mononucleosis. There are two types of HSV: HSV-1, which infects 80 percent of the U.S. population, usually appears on the lips in cold sores; HSV-2 is usually found in the genital area. However, if a person with HSV-1 oral herpes (cold sores) performs oral sex, it is possible for the partner to get HSV-1 genital herpes. And HSV-2 can infect the mouth through oral sex.

HSV can cause sores, or lesions, to appear in and around the vaginal area and within the cervix in women, and on the penis and scrotum in men. Both males and females may also get lesions in the urinary tract, around the anal opening, on the buttocks or thighs, and sometimes on other parts of the body.

The First Episode

Symptoms of genital herpes can vary in appearance and intensity. Some people have no symptoms or such mild symptoms that they don't suspect they have an infection. For others, the first episode of herpes (primary infection) can cause one or more very painful lesions to erupt on the skin.

For many people, this primary infection may be more severe and have more generalized symptoms than recurrent episodes. During a first episode, the lesions may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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