CDC: Nearly 50% of Black Women Ages 14 to 49 Have Genital Herpes

clipped from www.poz.com CDC: Nearly 50% of Black Women Ages 14 to 49 Have Genital Herpes Almost one in every two African-American women ages 14 to 49 has genital herpes, as does two out of every five blacks in that age group, according to data presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at an STD Prevention Conference last week and reported on by the Los Angeles Times. In addition, one out of six Americans in general is living with the virus. Genital herpes, also known as herpes simplex virus type 2 or HSV-2, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. “The message is that herpes is quite common,” said John M. Douglas Jr., MD, during a telephone news conference. “Many individuals are transmitting herpes to others without even knowing it.”