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World Health Organization calls for HSV1/2 vaccine


tom343

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Two-thirds of the world’s population under 50 have the highly infectious herpes virus that causes cold sores around the mouth, said the World Health Organization in its first estimate of global prevalence of the disease.

More than 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 suffer from the herpes simplex virustype 1 (HSV-1), usually after catching it in childhood, according to a WHO study published on Wednesday.

That is in addition to 417 million people in the 17-49 age range who have the other form of the disease, HSV-2, which causes genital herpes.

HSV-1 normally causes mouth ulcers rather than genital infection, but it is becoming an increasing cause of genital infection too, mainly in rich countries.

That is because improved hygiene in rich countries is lowering HSV-1 infection rates in childhood, leaving young people more at risk of catching it via oral sex when they become sexually active.

 

HSV-2 can increase the risk of catching and spreading HIV, the disease that causes Aids. Little is known about any link between HSV-1 and HIV/Aids, although it can lead to other serious complications such as encephalitis.

 

“We really need to accelerate the development of vaccines against herpes simplex virus, and if a vaccine designed to prevent HSV-2 infection also prevented HSV-1, it would have far-reaching benefits,” said Sami Gottlieb, a WHO medical officer.

 

Nathalie Broutet, also a WHO medical officer, said the US National Institutes of Health and companies including GlaxoSmithKline were involved in trials to determine whether a therapeutic or preventative vaccine was preferable.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/28/herpes-simplex-virus-cold-sores-who

 

 

Edited by tom343
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I dont know why more people havent responded to this.

This is amazing news, it really is....The WORLD Health Organization has recognized the need for a vaccine, and even used the word "accelerated". Im hoping that if Admedus or Genocea get their vaccine approved it can be fast tracked within 4 years instead of 5.

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13 hours ago, Sillybrain2 said:

Maybe WHO can contribute some money to research? ;);)

Im not sure how it works?

I hope this actually means something for medical labs, who may be inspired to start their own HSV vaccines and put a lot of money into them, or put money into current vaccines on trial

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11 minutes ago, lexyz22 said:

Im not sure how it works?

I hope this actually means something for medical labs, who may be inspired to start their own HSV vaccines and put a lot of money into them, or put money into current vaccines on trial

Lexyz, you could be on to something here. Hopefully it does bring much needed attention to find a treatment/cure whatever to this virus!

this might also raise awareness to the potential big funders. If they know it's a problem that needs addressing, they might be more willing to donate big bucks!

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Just now, Sillybrain2 said:

Lexyz, you could be on to something here. Hopefully it does bring much needed attention to find a treatment/cure whatever to this virus!

this might also raise awareness to the potential big funders. If they know it's a problem that needs addressing, they might be more willing to donate big bucks!

This is how I see it, most importantly: 

It helps to reduce the stigma :D

The WHO have said that 2/3 people under the age of 50 have either HSV-1 or HSV-2, if anyone ever reacts badly to you saying you have it, you can literally point them in the direction of this article.

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    • WilsoInAus
      I really suggest that the best thing is for both you and your boyfriend to obtain the Westernblot HSV test. He has a 50%+ chance of being positive and you have a 50% chance of being negative
    • WilsoInAus
      Hi @kpn the first thing to note is that it is all OK to have HSV-1 or indeed any HSV type. It is not negligence, it is just being human. Oral HSV-1 is not an STD in the sense that the primary transmission is non sexual and the majority of it occurs between parents to children. If any of your children contracted HSV, you would know it. It wouldn't be a silent infection for children. HSV-2 tends not to shed from the oral region for people who have it there in any event. At age 73, about 80% of the population has HSV-1. There is no reason to believe that your mother isn't one of those people. About half of all carriers of oral HSV-1 do not realise they have it and have no living memory of cold sores as they were infected when very young. The most logical explanation is that your mother has oral HSV-1 from her childhood and that your daughter doesn't have oral HSV. Not that it is relevant to anyone but yourself, but your wife might find she actually has genital HSV-1 having had an untyped swab when she was diagnosed.
    • WilsoInAus
      Hi @Dylan86 and welcome to the website. First note that you cannot pragmatically become infected with HSV-1 from sharing a drink. If you carry HSV-1, it did not come from that episode. As such it is extremely unlikely HSV-1 is the primary cause of your issues. Can the WB miss a HSV-1 infection? Rarely but its feasible in less than 1% of carriers who test with WB. Note that the WB does not have values, it has positive or negative as you say. It is way more accurate than IgG as it looks for all 30+ antibodies that are in your blood for HSV. Could you have HSV-1? Yes it is feasible, but it would be a very old childhood infection. Could HSV-1 be causing your oral issues? No herpes will not cause the burning mouth syndrome you describe. Could some of the lesions be herpes related? It is feasible if you are a carrier. But it is unlikely to be the primary cause of the issues, but its an opportunistic virus that can cause issues when something else is taxing your immune system. The best thing you can do is the PCR test on a oral lesion and that will be pretty definitive. Either way, in summary. I'd suggest there is <1% chance you are part of about 70% of the population that has HSV-1. Further there is less than a 1% chance that herpes is the primary cause of your issues.   
    • kpn
      My wife has had hsv 2 for around 8 years. We have two young children 3 years old and 18 months old. My wife only had one outbreak when she was first infected so we didn't worry too much about passing it on to our children. I understand the risk to be pretty low under those circumstances. I don't believe my wife took antivirals during either pregnancy. My younger child has diaper rashes pretty often and has had what I thought was hand foot and mouth disease. That was going around the daycare a while back. I haven't really given it much concern though.  About a week ago, my mother kissed my youngest on the lips. My kid was congested at the time but they pretty much always are. About 3 days later, my mother developed a cold sore on her mouth. She has never had cold sores in her life and she is 73 and happily married so she is not going around messing with anyone. She pointed to the fact she had kissed my youngest and presumed that is where she was infected. At first I said that's not possible since my child has never had any cold sores but since then I have really started to consider that maybe it is possible she contracted it from my daughter. This has me worried that my daughter does indeed have hsv2 and was shedding in her mouth. Does anyone have any experience with this? I am really losing sleep about this. Two people I care so much about got hsv from my negligence. I am fine if I were to contract it, I am not worried about what others think at this point in my life. I just don't want anyone else to have it. 
    • CHT
      Hello DavidGua.... based on the two pictures, I'm not seeing anything that resembles a typical herpes outbreak.  I am not sure what those spots are on your penis.  Please have a doctor take a look and I'm sure you'll get a proper diagnosis.  Have you ever received an HSV antibody test (IgG)?  Again, I doubt your symptoms are herpes-related but, if you'd like some peace of mind, you could request the IgG antibody test for HSV2.   Best of luck.... let us know if you have any other questions/concerns.
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