April is Sexually Transmitted Disease awareness month.

Experts estimate each year that 1 in 3 adults in the United States is either living with, or will become newly infected with, an STD, with genital herpes as the most common disease. Despite the prevalence of individuals with genital herpes, the awareness, diagnosis, treatment and testing of this STD remain remarkably low.

Experts estimate that now 60 million Americans could have the virus that causes genital herpes, and the Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately 1 million people are infected each year.

“Genital herpes still remains a hidden epidemic in this country,” said Peter Leone, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine and Medical Director of the North Carolina HIV/STD Prevention and Control Branch, Department of Health and Human Services.

“One of the reasons herpes continues to spread is because as little as 10 percent of the people with the virus know they have it,” Leone said.

The virus is spread through skin-to-skin contact and often during times when there are no visible signs of a herpes outbreak. In fact, one study showed up to 70 percent of people may get genital herpes from a partner with genital herpes who reported no signs or symptoms during recent sexual contact.

“Taking control of the disease requires knowing a partner’s status, recognizing the symptoms, treating the disease and doing what they can to reduce the risk of spreading genital herpes to a partner,” said Leone.

He said, “genital herpes sufferers need to know that they should avoid sex during outbreaks and that condoms are recommended for all sexual encounters even between outbreaks.”

America’s leading sex and relationship therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, wants to raise awareness of this underdiagnosed disease while helping couples which may include a partner with genital herpes maintain a healthy sex life. Even though the initial diagnosis can be devastating, gathering accurate information and seeking emotional support from others is an important step toward managing the disease.

She said,”genital herpes doesn’t have to be scary,” said Dr. Ruth. “People can take charge of their diagnosis by seeking support from family and friends, taking precautions by telling a partner and practicing safer sex, and, most importantly, maintaining the right attitude.”

Genital herpes is a contagious viral infection primarily caused by the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) that spreads through physical skin-to-skin contact in the genital area. It can affect both men and women, causing periodic outbreaks that may appear as painful or itchy clusters of blisters, bumps and rashes in the genital area, or on the thighs or buttocks.

Many people confuse symptoms of genital herpes with other conditions such as jock itch, yeast infections, insect bites and allergic reactions, and never bring it up to their physicians. While genital herpes is not a life-threatening disease, the virus never leaves the body, making it a lifelong condition that can recur at various times.

While there is no cure for herpes, patients have choices in how they manage the disease including suppressive therapy, taking a prescription medicine every day to help suppress outbreaks of genital herpes before they occur, or outbreak therapy, which involves taking a prescription medicine at the first sign of a genital herpes outbreak, and treating each outbreak as it occurs. There are no treatments which reduce the risk of genital herpes transmission.

To learn more about sexually transmitted diseases and/or genital herpes, contact the National STD Hotline at 1.800.227.8922, visit the American Social Health Association online at www.ashastd.org or log onto www.WebMD.com.