Herpes is more common than you might think — way more common, actually. In 2020 alone, over 25 million people between the ages of 15 and 49 contracted a new genital infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Add to that another 17 million who acquired genital herpes from HSV-1, the same virus responsible for cold sores.

About 1 in 5 people younger than 50 live with a genital herpes infection, researchers reported Dec. 10 in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. Even worse, more than 200 million people ages 15 to 49 likely had at least one outbreak of herpes sores and ulcers in 2020.

A study estimating the number of under-50s worldwide who are living with genital herpes has highlighted changing sexual behaviors and the need for many countries to consider more effective ways of curbing the transmission of this incurable disease.

Over 1 in 5 adults worldwide are living with a genital herpes infection, according to the latest estimates from a new study.

More than one in five people aged between 15 and 49 globally or 846 million people live with a genital herpes infection, according to an estimate by the World Health Organization (WHO). Every second,

Around 846 million people aged between 15 and 49 are living with genital herpes infections – more than 1 in 5 of this age-group globally – according to new estimates released today.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that approximately 846 million people aged 15-49 are living with genital herpes infections, accounting for more than one in five of this age group globally.