Herpetic vaginitis in 1993.

Substantial advances have been made in our understanding of HSV and genital herpes. The molecular biology of viral structure and function and the pathogenesis of infection have been elucidated to a large degree, and epidemiologic investigations, based on reliable type-specific assays, have been done. Diagnostic techniques have been refined, and the value of therapy has been defined. Currently, management strategies for pregnant women and their neonates are based on data rather than hypothesis, and rational counseling is feasible. The next major advance in the field would be the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, the development and investigation of which is being pursued vigorously.