London - Teenagers are more at risk of genital herpes than they used to be because they are not being exposed to cold sores early in life.
A new American study suggests a growing number of young people lack antibodies that may help to protect them later in life – essentially because they were “sheltered” from cold sores as children.
Experts say the misconception that oral sex is “safer” may be adding to the problem, as the herpes virus can be transmitted from the mouth to the genitals.
Doctors say many young people indulge in oral sex because of fears over HIV.
The study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that fewer of today’s teenagers have been exposed to the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a common cause of cold sores, than US adolescents in previous years.
Without these antibodies, they are more susceptible – when they become sexually active – to infections also caused by the virus, particularly through oral sex.
HSV-1 and a related virus, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), cause lifelong infections that can go through dormant periods after an initial outbreak.
There is no known cure.
Most people contract HSV-1 in childhood, through skin-to-skin contact with an infected adult.
HSV-2 is usually transmitted sexually.
Though both viruses can cause genital herpes, HSV-2 has traditionally been thought of as more likely to.
But research is increasingly showing that HSV-1 is becoming a significant cause of genital herpes in developed countries – perhaps as much as 50 percent of cases.
In this latest study, Heather Bradley and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined HSV-1 and HSV-2 prevalence among 14 to 49- year-olds in the US.
They found that the number of antibodies people had against the two strains of the virus varied widely depending on their age.
Between 2005-2010, the number of antibodies 14 to 19-year-olds had dropped by 23 percent compared to people of that age between 1999 and 2004.
Among 20 to 29-year-olds, the prevalence had declined by more than nine percent.
But resistance against HSV-1 remained stable in the two oldest age groups (those in their 30s and 40s) and there was no major change in the number of antibodies to HSV-2.
The problem with today’s teenagers having fewer antibodies is that during their first sexual experience, they are more susceptible to genital herpes resulting from that strain.
“I tell patients herpes is like your credit history – whatever you did you can never get rid of,” Dr Marcelo Laufer, a paediatric infectious disease specialist at Miami Children’s Hospital, told HealthDay.
“Every year the proportion of patients who get infected with HSV-1 through oral sex is increasing.
“Adolescents who reach that age without being exposed to HSV-1 might, through oral sex, be more susceptible to the infection.” - Daily Mail