Prevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and Type 2 in Persons Aged 14-49: United States, 2015-2016.

Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) are common, lifelong infections, which often have no symptoms (1). People with symptoms may have painful blisters or sores at the site of infection (2,3). The viruses are transmitted through contact with an infected person’s lesion, mucosal surface, or genital or oral secretions. This report provides recent national estimates of HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibody prevalence from the 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) among persons aged 14–49 by age, sex, and race and Hispanic origin, and examines trends in prevalence by race and Hispanic origin from 1999–2000 to 2015–2016. All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.