1 in 5 Has Herpes?
Disclaimer: This post is not meant to judge, point fingers, or humilate. It's intention is only to educate. At Posted Note our love is unconditional and we love you with or without sexually transmitted diseases.
Last night while watching reality tv and icing my elbows I decided to peruse a copy of "Details" magazine that had come to me by way of a free subscription. "Details" is similar to GQ in that it is a men's fashion magazine that deals with issues such as, "Why you are better off if your boss is a tyrant", "Is your new baby making you gay?", "Can the average guy wear diamonds", and "How pot went gourmet" - as you can see this magazine is marketed to engineers and rocket scientists.
I was flipping through the fluff when an article caught my eye. It was titled, "1 in 5 Has Herpes". Last time I checked the population of America was 296,660,730. That means that 60 million Americans are walking around with herpes. As I read the article some things popped out at me and so I decided to quote them here not for shock value but for educational purposes. In my 29 years no one has really ever described to me what genital herpes looked like or felt like and really I had no idea how what all it entailed.
This is an excerpt from page 69 of the August issue of Details,
"By the next morning, however, it felt like my [privates] had been dipped in kerosene and set on fire. In the bathroom I discovered several bubbling, crusting sores on my penis. "
The article goes into more detail about the problems with the herpes, but I had already read enough to know that this was not a pleasant disease.
I continued to read the article and was shocked to read this:
"Thankfully, if you have the H-bomb in your pants, there's no shortage of fellow sufferers willing to help you cope- or even copulate, if you'd like. From Istanbul to Bakersfield, millions of infectees are out of the closet and looking to party - through online dating services and support groups called H clubs, which arrange matches, set up cruises, or simply let memebers vent...
...The uprising of the once shunned Herpes Nation is admireable for its attempt to destigmatize the virus. But it's also kind of cynical triumph for Valtrex and its maker, GlaxoSmithKline... The message, according to health experts and commentators, is not just I'm okay, your okay. It's If I have it, it's no big deal if you get it too. 'I think the Herpes stigma is gone, ' says Adam Corolla, cohost of the syndicated radio call-in show Loveline. 'The commercials where the chicks are wakeboarding and kickboxing don't hurt herpes either. If you don't know what the commercials are for, you'd be like, 'Sign me up for this Shit'."
I read this and I read it again and thought, "Are these guys taking drugs?" Apparently, yes, they are taking Valtrex every day for the rest of their lives to combat a very painful disease. What is worse is that they are making light of a very serious condition.
If you read Posted Note often then you know that I only occasionally jump up on my soap box. Most of what I post here is intended to be funny and entertaining, but when I read this I couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach.
America has become such a backward society. The only time you are supposed to worry about the consequences is when you are in the fast food line. When it comes to sex, any type of sex, then you should be allowed to enjoy it consequences be damned. If you get pregnant, it is okay, just have an abortion. If you get a horrific disease, no problem, we have a 60 million others who will sympathize with you.
I don't want sympathy. I don't want people to put a happy face on my problems, I want to be informed and I want to know the consequences.
posted by Eddo @ Wednesday, August 03, 2005
31 Comments:
First of all... ew... glad I am married and can have as much married sex with all of the pleasures and none of the pain.
Secondly, You are SO right on Eddie... The US is a society filled with people who justify their actions by reasoning the consequences. We have become a society of no absolutes. It's all relative... and nothing is right or wrong. Consequences... whatever, there is a drug that will help me out. Herpes is not wrong... "EVERYONE" has it... no big deal.
Crazy.
good post, eddo. i didn't know those statistics. perhaps you should get a subscription to that mag and frequently post the articles they have.
also, i wholeheartedly agree with ben's first paragraph. :)
Eddie I have started to read your blog fifteen times this morning and keep getting pulled away. But I am here to stay. The title peaked my interest.
Right on Eddo! Sex is for marriage. the world is so bassackwards
And for those of us that aren't married...yikes. I really can't get over how casual people are with not just 'sex' but their bodies...ewwww. To have any body part of mine burning like described in the article excerpt - ouch!
Thanks for your post, Eddo - whether you're insightful, humorous, or factoidfull - you're fabulous. :)
Thanks for the comment on my blog. I was successful in getting at least one. :) I finally made it over to your blog, and this is the post I had to read. Ewww is right. Thanks for the info. though. So glad I am married too.
Eddie - preach it brother.
I can give the girl side of this after working for an OB/GYN. Human paplova virus is a sexually transmitted disease carried by men but with no effects on them. In women it cause cancer. Cancer that kills many of the women that get the virus. It is an STD, a preventable one and women are dying from this and men never know they are carriers.
Sex is safe within the confines of marriage, but without that trust and that security it is a dangerous thing.
Yikes - I had heard this before but the fact of the matter is just sad to me...
Dontcha think people who ask or tell if they had herpes to their partner...
anyway - clean as a whistle.
I was shocked and appalled that there are actually groups out there. How dysfunctional is that??
As a former employee of Cummings & Assoc. OB/GYN, having had to look at many a bottom... Don't EVEN get me started! Don't EEEEEEVEN GET ME STARTED!!
Snik knows. I filed pictures she got it up close and in living color.
i so would have gagged.
let me clarify: i so would have gagged if i were nikki.
Well, the statistics are misleading, I believe. There are genital AND oral herpes. Oral herpes are what we commonly call canker sores, which are very common. Or, did it say that 1 in 5 have GENITAL herpes? Either way, that's only 20 percent. I'm not one of them, thankfully. That being said, I knew someone who did have it. He didn't have to take meds all the time, but learned to recognize the symptoms of the beginnings of it and knew when to take the meds to prevent an outbreak. So it IS manageable. But there's no doubt it's a sexually transmitted disease...
Stephen, good point. But I do think it's terribly sad to see how widespread these sorts of diseases are getting.
Please be careful about information you discover on the internet, particularly something as important as medical info. Check out WEBMD.com, type in STD (sexually transmitted disease) to get accurate info. (By the way, genital warts are human papillomavirus, or HPV.) I ran into this website while doing some research for a paper. As a retired grandmother living with Herpes for 35 years, I was really disappointed at some of the mean-spirited and judgmental comments. Not everyone gets these things because of their behavior. I was married and didn't know the husband (now ex-) was messing around. Fortunately, my outbreaks are mild. So mild, in fact, that at first I wasn't even aware that I had it. (Most people don't have the horrifying symptoms mentioned in the magazine.) I was pregnant when the ex- left and, because he didn't tell me about the Herpes, I actually put my baby in danger by having a vaginal birth. I have known several other women who trusted the men they were with and ended up with similar - and worse -problems. So, I could be judgmental, too, and say all men are dicks, but I wouldn't do that. A little kind-heartedness and understanding goes a long way. Thanks. Deby
Very good article and good that you posted it.
Our situation is different. My duaghter met a man (Brock Purviance) over the internet when she was 14 and he was 28. He is what is know as a "groomer". To make a long painful story short, he flew to our state, initated a sexual relationship with our daughter five days after her 15th birthday.
She tested postive to the HPV and the markers that cause cervical cancer. She will forever have to worry about developing cancer.
This man is still out as of this day at his music school. The denver school of music. in Arvada Colorado.
1. This is a real disease that affects even those that are victims.
2. Men can give it without adverse side affects
3. My daughters doctor said men are not even tested for this disease because it does not affect them.
4. They are working on a immunization that can be given in a couple of years to those who have never contracted the virus as part of childrens immunizations, and hopefully will wipe out cervical cancer to which 95% of all cervical cancers are related to HPV.
By the way Brock told me personaly even if he did give it to my daughter it is no big deal because 70% of the population has it... yah easy for him to say, it won't give him cancer.
Moral of this story....
Parents check your kids cell phone logs, see who they are talking to... check their e-mails and see who is in their contact list..
People be careful of each other, just because something does not affect you, does not mean it won't someone else.
Thank you for this chance to comment.
ozarkcontessa
Your blog post here is such a glaring waste of time and space that I'm kicking my own ass for wasting mine on this comment. Herpes is not a "horrible disease" but one that can usually be easily managed. If the statistics for genital herpes freak people out then those for oral herpes should create mass chaos among everyone here since 80 percent of the world's population is said to carry Herpes simplex type 1. The two forms of the virus are virtually identical and either kind can be transferred to either area of the body. The majority of people who have herpes don't even know that they do, which is the largest contributing factor to the spread of both strains of the virus. Many people have no symptoms or have mild symptoms that they confuse for something else - "I couldn't get herpes, so it must be something else right?"
Everyone should have protected sex. People who have herpes should inform their partners that they do, in addition to using protection. Anyone who opposes medication which helps a medical condition due to prejudice and ignorance can stay holed up in their religious compound in Montana, in the interest of protecting civilization from your dumb ass. Get an education! Or maybe you should get a blood test first...
Thank you anonymous!
The herpes virus that most commonly causes cold sores is now becoming one of the most common types of genital herpes as well-including myself. There are even cases of herpes among married couples who have never even been with anyone else(they got oral herpes as a child-like many people, then transmitted through oral sex. Also as many as 1 in 4 women have it (check the official CDC website)
Also I have done a lot of research on it and it's the stigma and ignorance on it that causes a lot more shame than pride. Educate yourself and use condoms for EVERYTHING if you want to totally avoid it.
Also don't get your medical or social information from Details, a magazine with headlines like,"She's pregnant, should you take off?" and "We say it's OK to sleep with your teacher."
Personally I think any information that can give some guidance to a world with sadly low morals is a good thing. If you site helps even one person from contracting a STD and sharing it to others, then you have done a good thing.
God bless and keep up the good words.
I've got genital herpes and so far it's been asymptomatic.
You are very wrong to assume that people who have herpes are promiscuous. It only take ONE time to get infected, and herpes is from SKIN to SKIN contact as well as bodily fluid so even if you dont have sex with someone, you can STILL get it. & 80 percent of the population has herpes on the mouth..if you have oral sex with a coldsore that can lead to GENITAL herpes. ALSO. People with herpes can have NO SYMPTOMS at all or very mild ones that mimic the flu. Get yourselves educated because unless you SPECIFICALLY ask for a herpes test you may already be infected. Herpes is a virous just like the flu or chickenpox. Lets not make it out to be something its not.
Man, this entire thread is entirely too creepy. On the one hand, people are out there acting like herpes isn't a big deal. It is because you don't want it. It sucks.
But it won't kill you either. There are much worse things out there. And I hate to break it to the 'thank god, I'm married' folks, but that certainly doesn't make you any safer than the rest. If your partner cheats on you (it only takes one time), or has been living with the virus their entire lives (common STD testing doesn't test for herpes), or just plain had no symptoms (90% of ppl with this virus have zero symptoms), (oh, almost forgot, if your partner actually 100% doesn't
have genital herpes but carries the oral herpes virus 'the common cold sore' they can eventually pass it on to your genitals through oral sex) you can get it too. And even if you think you don't have it, you may be a carrier and always test negative for herpes because you haven't had
your 'primary outbreak' yet that builds up antibodies in your
system to show on a blood test that you do in fact have this virus.
Playing it safer, married or not, is better. It's your body no
matter what. So take care of it in any situation. And for the
girl who thought it was so gross that there are support
groups out there for people living with herpes, you should
reconsider that statement. There are people out there who
really really need those groups. They aren't there because
herpes isn't a big deal. They are there to help people cope
and move on with life.
We really need to be careful all the time. I am diagnose with herpes, it was so uncomfortable the blisters and not to mention the pain. Good thing I have Zovirax stocked on my cabinet. It lessens the discomfort and stops the infection from spreading or worsening. Plus it is safe to take even when pregnant. And when breastfeeding do not take this drug! You can see the complete drug info and other meds at http://medsheaven.com/index.html
I came across this as I am a student in high school and this last quarter in health class we are doing reports on STD's. I chose to do a report on herpes. Mainly because I am a 15 year old girl that has this. I read this article hoping to use it as a reference for good information, but to my dismay, this article it completly biased. I know alot about this because of my doctor and reading on this for my personal life. There are dating sites, support groups, and such for a reason other than justifying someones actions. It is because it causes alot of emotional problems with infected people. I got this becaues I chose to have sex with a guy I was dating that I thought I loved. It causes such pain emotionally because it usually isn't the persons fault they got herpes. To read such rude comments is more disturbing than your point on justifying peoples actions. A large amount of people have herpes because cold sores of the mouth are herpes simplex one. This is soo common. The national average is one in five people have it. Meaning both simplexes. not just one. But this article does have a vary valid point I'm very glad to see people know. Sex should mean something, although personally I don't think for me it is just for marriage obviously. but people do use their bodies and dont think of the consequences. That is truely sad. I do want to say that I do appriciate your post, but maybe not to be so biased.
The article is sensationalising and over-dramatic. And some of the replies on here are narrow-minded and knee-jerk to say the least. Being married is no protection whatsoever against STIs - this is very naive indeed. So are all you married people using condoms? I doubt it. For a start some married people cheat so watch that. Secondly some people don't know they have it. Thirdly people have it and don't tell you. Fourthly you can catch it even using condoms and through oral sex. I caught herpes from my first boyfriend. We were dating for a year, I was on the pill so we stopped using condoms - as millions of others do. I thought we were exclusive;he was cheating on me and gave me the infection. None of this was my fault and although I wish I didn't have it the virus now causes me less problems than a cold 2BH. When I first caught it it was really painful - I had no immunity to it having never had a cold sore in my life. Now I have built up immunity and it is merely itchy and annoying when it turns up. As a result of catching it I went to the clinic and got myself tested for everything; I now know I am clear and healthy in every other way and have never had unprotected sex since.I know I don't have anything else as I have been to the clinic regularly and a lot of people don't do that. I'm just grateful I didn't catch anything more serious. It has also forced me to make changes to my lifestyle as it flares up if you don't get enough sleep or are stressed. Again, I'd rather have a flare-up of herpes than a cold;I only get one cold a year cos I take such care of myself now. Its a virus people; it has killed no-one and is not related to HPV. The drama is - OMG it is spread by HAVING SEX which says a lot more about people's issue with sex than the virus itself.
If you're living with genital herpes, remember that you're not alone. One in five Americans has genital herpes. The key to living with it is learning how to recognize and manage your symptoms. STDRomance,com has some other important information that will help you minimize the effect genital herpes/STD has on your life, also date others same with you
Seriously. I have been living with HSV-2 for 15 years now, I got it from my very first boyfriend who didn't know he had it. I've never felt like my privates are on fire. I'm 33 now and have had several loving relationships and I have always informed my partners. I have never given it to any of them. I would seriously consider getting your medical information from a doctor not a rag mag.
I am shocked and dissapointed at the ignorant hate overwhelming the comments to your blog post. I am a 23 year old female and have just been diagnosed with genital herpes. I got it from someone I was dating and trust--he has it asymptomatically (majority of carriers have minimal or no symptoms)What is essential to know is that, while certainly herpes is not ideal, and I've been struggling with the emotional aspect of it, it is very treatable and very manageable. The majority of people who have it have infrequent and mild symptoms. The worst part of the skin condition--not 'disease'--is the stigma surrounding it. It can be very, very hurtful and very daunting. Please, think you before write.
I can’t believe my genital herpes is really cured, oh is by this time last year I start feeling bad about my life, I feel pain everyday of my life am very happy now that am really cured I couldn’t have do this on my own I wish is not God that help me with my helper I was searching the internet about this sickness last 3month when I found about great doctor bhabumenre, the man that keep his words I write the man email about my problem immediately I get a reply from him asking me to fill a form which I immediately did and send back to him after some minutes he reply me that he have work on my cure that I need to provide some materials, which can enable him to work on my cure which I did on the next day of it, after some hours he inform me that he have getting the things needed for the cure and he is about to go on with the curing spell he called me again after 50mins that he is done with the cure that I should check my body and also go for test I cant believe I was negative a big thanks to him am very happy now with my family you can also get your self cured too from this sickness by contact him through hivcurecenter@gmail.com if you need any information about him contact me email: hivcurecenter@gmail.com
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