Approximately one in eight sexually active Australians has genital herpes.

How common is genital herpes in Australia?

Around 75 in every 100 Australian adults have been infected with HSV1, and around 12 in 100 have HSV2. Many people with herpes never have symptoms and do not know that they have it. What are the symptoms? Symptoms can appear days, weeks or months after infection.

What country has the most genital herpes?

The highest prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 appears to be in Africa. In the developing world, HSV-2 is becoming a common cause for genital ulcer disease, especially in countries with a high prevalence of HIV infection.

Is genital herpes a notifiable disease in Australia?

Herpes is not a notifiable condition.

How do they test for genital herpes in Australia?

The test for herpes infection is a swab of a lesion. A person who has noticed lesions in their genital area should be tested by a swab. In modern pathology laboratories in Australia these swabs will be tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Is it bad to have genital herpes?

Herpes isnt deadly and it usually doesnt cause any serious health problems. While herpes outbreaks can be annoying and painful, the first flare-up is usually the worst. For many people, outbreaks happen less over time and may eventually stop completely.

Do I have to tell someone I have genital herpes?

Its best to disclose before sexual contact — any sexual contact. Herpes and HPV are both transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, which means that simply rubbing genitals together, even without penetration, can pass the virus from one person to another.