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WHAT IS HERPES?
Herpes is a simple viral infection. It can cause oral herpes or genital herpes.
There are two main types of Herpes that affect humans.
TYPE 1: it is the most common type of herpes. Virtually most people have this type, experts estimate that 80-90% of
the population have been exposed to this virus. It infects the lips and mouth area, causing sores known as cold sores. But
it can also affect the genital region. Also known as HSV-1.
TYPE 2: Generally infects the genital area. Also known as HSV-2.
1 out of 5 Americans are infected with HSV-2 (herpes simplex virus) and women are more commonly infected that men. According
to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are 80 known herpes virus', however, only 8 are known to affect humans. The most common are the two mentioned above.
Other common herpes infections include chickenpox (varicella-zoster) and shingles (herpes zoster).
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