Genital herpes--yesterday, today, tomorrow.

Genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are clinically important because of their occasional severity and complications, as well as their psychosocial impact. They are currently recognized as a significant public health problem and appear to be on the rise in the United States and in other Western countries. The increased interest in genital herpes recently led to newer information about the epidemiology, natural history, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the infection. In this chapter we highlight some of the older important contributions to this subject, and review current concepts and future perspectives.