Until AIDS appeared, genital herpes was the most common sexually transmitted disease in the country. Despite popular hysteria, the medical community has always considered genital herpes to be more of a discomfort rather than a dangerous or life-threatening situation.

What causes genital herpes?
Herpes simplex virus type II causes 85 percent of genital herpes cases. Type I, which causes most herpes infections above the waist, is responsible for the other 15 percent. The infection is spread by contact with the genital secretions of a person with an active lesion. It is possible, however, for a person with no active lesion to shed virus and infect a sex partner.

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