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Genital herpes is caused by a contagious virus that spreads through intimate skin-to-skin contact. The disease is widespread in the United States. It is estimated that 50 million people have genital herpes. That means that 1 out of 5 adults is infected with the herpes virus. Anyone who is sexually active, even with just 1 person, can get genital herpes. There are up to 1 million new cases each year, and, in fact, genital herpes is now more common than diseases like diabetes and asthma. Once you have the virus in your body, there is no known way to get rid of it.
Almost 90% of people with genital herpes have not been diagnosed and are unaware of their condition. Many of these people have symptoms they don't recognize or that they confuse with something else. Others may not have genital herpes symptoms at all but can still spread the disease.
To find out more about how you can reduce your risk of spreading genital herpes, click here.
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