Condoms May Reduce Herpes Risk
MONDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- People who use condoms regularly can reduce their risk of getting genital herpes by 30 percent, a new study finds.
The herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) causes genital herpes, which is a chronic, lifelong viral infection. Although studies have found that regular condom use reduces the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, whether they prevent the transmission of HSV-2 has been less certain, the researchers noted.
"Condoms work for herpes," said study author Emily T. Martin, a postdoctoral fellow with the Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute.
"Even though the decrease is smaller than you would see with some other STDs, the evidence from previous studies has been unclear whether using a condom to prevent getting herpes was going to be effective, but this shows that it is," she said.
Using condoms reduces herpes transmission by only 30 percent because, unlike other STDs, herpes is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, Martin explained.
"Transmission has a lot to do with where the virus is being shed at the time," she said.
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yes, it can reduce the risk of getting Herpes and other STDs. But not 100%. 80% people I met on a Herpes community " HerpesLoving co m" said they use condom, but the result is positive also