Bad news : you likely have herpes . Good news : you ’re not alone .

A recent story from the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) , published inPLOS ONE ,   has estimated two - thirds of masses under 50 have the highly infectious herpes virus .

More precisely , 3.7 billion people under the old age of 50 are thought   to carry the herpes simplex virus type 1 ( HSV-1 ) . The computer virus , which is usually catch in childhood , do cold sores around the oral cavity , although many people parade no symptoms .

However ,   most unnervingly ,   there ’s been a rise in cases of HSV-1 causing venereal herpes virus . Around 140 million multitude are suppose to have a dominant ( existing )   HSV-1 genital infection , most of which are in the Americas , Europe and Western Pacific . The report testify that developed commonwealth have see a wage increase in venereal HSV-1 infections partly because of fewer childhood infections ; those who already have HSV-1 orally are improbable to get a subsequent transmission of the genitals . Another gene is   an plain increment in popularity of unwritten sex , which can pass by the computer virus from the mouth to the genitals .

In addition , the study find 417 million people between 17 and   49 age older have the HSV-2 strain , which do venereal herpes virus .

A herpes virus infection is n’t just an unenviable flushed cornflake on your face or an even more awkwardly placed sore . HSV-2 can increase the risk of infection of get and overspread HIV and HSV-1 can moderate to serious complications such asencephalitis , which make inflammation of the head .

After the first irruption of herpes virus , the computer virus propel from the cutis cells to face cell where it stays forever . It can put sleeping for years and years , however it can easily become active again .

Nathalie Broutet , a WHO medical officer , say   Reuters   the U.S. National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutic companies were in the process of trial to square off whether a remedial or preventative vaccine was preferable .

GSK , a British pharmaceutical company , was   working on a vaccine , however it got abandoned after find out it was n’t in effect against HSV-2 .

Sami Gottlieb , another WHO aesculapian police officer , toldReuters : " We really need to accelerate the ontogeny of vaccine against herpes virus simplex computer virus , and if a vaccinum design to prevent HSV-2 infection also prevented HSV-1 , it would have far reaching benefit . "

independent image quotation : Yale Rosen / Flickr.(CC BY - SA 2.0 ) .