Nearly 90% of people with genital herpes are unaware they have it because doctors rarely screen for it. According to the WHO, two-thirds of people under 50 have oral herpes and over 400 million have genital herpes. Despite its prevalence, herpes carries a stigma. However, most people with herpes experience few outbreaks and it can generally be managed. Online herpes dating sites provide a supportive community for those living with herpes.

1. You Probably Have Herpes, And You
Definitely Don't Know It
Here's why you shouldn't panic.
Do you fear the shame and isolation of living with herpes? Don't: Almost
everyone has it, according to recent data.
A first-ever analysis on the prevalence of herpes conducted by the World
Health Organization (WHO) indicates that two-thirds of the global population
under the age of 50 are living with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1, or "oral"
herpes). That's more than 3.7 billion people, 178 million women (49%) and 142
million men (39%) of which live in the Americas. At this rate, at least 90% of
Americans have been exposed to the virus.
Additionally, the WHO estimates that 417 million people aged 15-49 years
have herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which causes painful, horrible genital

2. herpes. The CDC estimates that one in six Americans have genital herpes
caused by HSV-2.
That's not the only stunner in the WHO report: Vice News notes that close 90%
of people who have the HSV-2 strain "don't know they have it because doctors
rarely screen for it, according to the Centers for Disease Control." That means
that you probably have herpes, or have had close contact with someone who
does, and neither of you know it.
Don't panic. Even if you do have herpes, living with the virus and its symptoms
can be manageable. The National Institutes for Health notes that people living
with genital herpes rarely have outbreaks, which, ironically, contributes to the
spread of the disease. The only time when genital herpes enters
life-threatening territory is if you're having sex with someone with HIV.
The real trouble with herpes is the stigma. Despite its ubiquity, people with
herpes are often subjected to shame, isolation, and anxiety. It's "thought of as
a disease only the promiscuous and cheating-types get, and is a popular joke
topic," wrote Jon Fortenbury in The Atlantic in 2014. "All of this insecurity,
discouragement, rejection, tears, anger, counseling, suicidal tendencies,
humiliation, shame, and isolation is caused by the stigma of a skin condition
that usually doesn’t show up most or even all of the year and can be
contracted after having protected sex one time."

3. Fortenbury's right. Not only is herpes less dangerous than other STDs, but it's
so common that there should be zero stigma. It's not an aberration, an
indication of a moral failing; as the WHO data makes clear, it's a fact of life. So
don't panic: If someone gives you shit for having herpes, chances are they
probably have it too — and just don't know it yet.
If you are living with herpes, try not be alone. Everyone on herpes dating site
is super approachable and loves to chat, so please don’t feel alone. There are
plenty of online dating sites for people with herpes. Pick up one herpes dating
site and try it.
The positivity and information in this herpes dating community will make you
100x calmer and you will not feel hopeless or depressed about your diagnosis
anymore.