Condoms Associated With Moderate Protection Against Herpes Simplex Virus 2

ScienceDaily (July 13, 2009) — Condom use is associated with a reduced risk of contracting herpes simplex virus 2, according to a report based on pooled analysis of data from previous studies.

Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) typically causes genital herpes, a chronic, life-long, viral infection. Although studies indicate that consistent condom use reduces the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, the effectiveness of preventing the transmission of HSV-2 through condom use is less certain, according to background information in the article.

Emily T. Martin, M.P.H., Ph.D., of Children's Hospital Research Institute and the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues analyzed data from six HSV-2 studies to assess the effectiveness of condom use in preventing the virus. The studies included three candidate HSV-2 vaccine studies, an HSV-2 drug study, an observational sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence study and a behavioral STI intervention study. These yielded results from 5,384 HSV-2-negative individuals (average age 29) at baseline for a combined total of 2,040,894 follow-up days.

More than 66 percent of those who took part in the six studies were male, 60.4 percent were white, 94.1 percent were heterosexual and most reported no prior STIs.

A total of 415 of the individuals acquired HSV-2 during follow-up. "Consistent condom users [used 100 percent of the time] had a 30 percent lower risk of HSV-2 acquisition compared with those who never used condoms," the authors write. "Risk of HSV-2 acquisition decreased by 7 percent for every additional 25 percent of the time that condoms were used during anal or vaginal sex." The risk of acquiring the virus increased significantly with increasing frequency of unprotected sex acts. There were no significant differences found in condom effectiveness between men and women.

"Based on findings of this large analysis using all available prospective data, condom use should continue to be recommended to both men and women for reducing the risk of HSV-2 acquisition," the authors conclude. "Although the magnitude of the protective effect was not as large as has been observed with other STIs, a 30 percent reduction in HSV-2 incidence can have a substantial benefit for individuals as well as a public health impact at the population level."

Funding for this project was provided by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by JAMA and Archives Journals.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Emily T. Martin, MPH; Elizabeth Krantz, MS; Sami L. Gottlieb, MD, MSPH; Amalia S. Magaret, PhD; Andria Langenberg, MD; Lawrence Stanberry, MD, PhD; Mary Kamb, MD, MPH; Anna Wald, MD, MPH. A Pooled Analysis of the Effect of Condoms in Preventing HSV-2 Acquisition. Arch Intern Med, 2009;169(13):1233-1240 [link]

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Herpes Dating - Exposed Once, This Time Use Protection

"In some cases, the fear of having such a discussion [about genital herpes], and the possible rejection that it might cause, is so strong that these individuals never date anyone ever again."[1] Breaking through the emotional barriers one suffers from when they have been wrongfully exposed to a sexually transmitted disease can be a serious challenge - so challenging that some may never date again. While the fear of rejection is one major concern with respect to dating with herpes, the fear of exposure is another. From her book Doctor Ruth's guide to talking about herpes, Dr. Ruth Westheimer compares the social stigma to that of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, "it can sometimes seem as if a large letter H is visible for all to see on their forehead; it is especially visible to any potential partners."[1] These two vital concerns, rejection and exposure, should be a core principal when developing a dating site designed exclusively for individuals living with herpes. Only by meeting these concerns, will a site be able to alleviate these fundamental challenges facing the herpes dating community. An acceptable solution requires a focus in two areas: privacy and security. The privacy of any herpes dating site should allow users to maintain a level of anonymity that is unattainable with most other dating sites. Likewise, the security infrastructure should prevent both their employees (including the developers) and malicious attackers/hackers from exposing a member's personal information.  

Most dating sites today, are not professionally developed, do not control access to private information, and do not properly secure access to web servers and data. Arguably, this may serve the needs of the general public but definitely not those individuals with herpes as they are far more protective of their identity. Exposing their picture or name on a typical open herpes or STD dating site is synonymous with releasing their medical information to the masses. While people with herpes can date discretely on a general public site, they are then faced with the problem of disclosure once a relationship matures. Upon disclosure there is probable risk of public exposure and rejection.

The bottom line is that member privacy should be the highest priority. It should be maintained in such a way that the members of the site can control their ability to disclose private information, doing so only when they feel the time is right. Private data in this regard can be pictures, videos, or certain information that can identify a member. Public data - like physical description, social attributes, and personality attributes - is information that allows others to ascertain the general nature and look of another member without revealing the member's true identity. A secure dating site will automatically separate this data and secure the private content using encryption and best security practices. This practice creates barriers that help to prevent the accidental or intentional disclosure of any identifiable private information to the public, including: name, address, phone number, pictures, etc. Ultimately, to keep members' identities safe, the underlying infrastructure must prevent the publishing of private content to a public zone.

Sites that follow the aforementioned principles create a secure and private dating haven for the herpes community. Individuals suffering from genital herpes have been exposed once, but it is their right to limit public exposure of their medical condition. A properly designed dating site will finally relieve the stress of exposure and rejection felt by the herpes dating community.

An Article by Ryan Stinson, Lead Developer at TwoCan.com

[1] Westheimer, Ruth K. (Ruth Karola), & Lehu, Pierre A. (2004). Doctor Ruth's guide to talking about herpes (1st ed.). New York: Grove/Atlantic.

Twocan.com was created as a fun, private and secure dating site for people with HSV2 (genital herpes). Twocan.com is a herpes dating site that opens doors to others making similar choices.
On Twocan.com members can easily search and review other members and safely build relationships without revealing their identity. A built-in communications and messaging system gives people the ability to safely meet and engage in discussions until they are comfortable moving to the next step, which may be sharing personal interests, a photo or video, phone conversation or even meeting in a safe place.
Our system is designed so that a relationship is built, both figuratively and literally, between two members before they can share personal and private information to one another. Our users can progressively build their trust with another user over time and through positive, safe online encounters. We provide a safe dating environment by allowing members to chat online using our instant messaging system or communicate through our internal email system. While in an instant messaging session members identify each other by their TwoCan ID. The TwoCan ID is an auto generated ID created upon registration that uniquely identifies users on our site, but also effectively hides their identity. Once a member feels comfortable enough to share personal information, they can initiate a relationship with another member on the site. If the relationship is accepted, each member will have the ability to share their private information.
Twocan.com is an easy-to-use, fun, classy and effective dating website designed to ensure that the millions of people affected by this issue have the proper forum for engaging in lasting relationships.

Herpes Dating - Exposed Once, This Time Use Protection

"In some cases, the fear of having such a discussion [about genital herpes], and the possible rejection that it might cause, is so strong that these individuals never date anyone ever again."[1] Breaking through the emotional barriers one suffers from when they have been wrongfully exposed to a sexually transmitted disease can be a serious challenge - so challenging that some may never date again. While the fear of rejection is one major concern with respect to dating with herpes, the fear of exposure is another. From her book Doctor Ruth's guide to talking about herpes, Dr. Ruth Westheimer compares the social stigma to that of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, "it can sometimes seem as if a large letter H is visible for all to see on their forehead; it is especially visible to any potential partners."[1] These two vital concerns, rejection and exposure, should be a core principal when developing a dating site designed exclusively for individuals living with herpes. Only by meeting these concerns, will a site be able to alleviate these fundamental challenges facing the herpes dating community. An acceptable solution requires a focus in two areas: privacy and security. The privacy of any herpes dating site should allow users to maintain a level of anonymity that is unattainable with most other dating sites. Likewise, the security infrastructure should prevent both their employees (including the developers) and malicious attackers/hackers from exposing a member's personal information.  

Most dating sites today, are not professionally developed, do not control access to private information, and do not properly secure access to web servers and data. Arguably, this may serve the needs of the general public but definitely not those individuals with herpes as they are far more protective of their identity. Exposing their picture or name on a typical open herpes or STD dating site is synonymous with releasing their medical information to the masses. While people with herpes can date discretely on a general public site, they are then faced with the problem of disclosure once a relationship matures. Upon disclosure there is probable risk of public exposure and rejection.

The bottom line is that member privacy should be the highest priority. It should be maintained in such a way that the members of the site can control their ability to disclose private information, doing so only when they feel the time is right. Private data in this regard can be pictures, videos, or certain information that can identify a member. Public data - like physical description, social attributes, and personality attributes - is information that allows others to ascertain the general nature and look of another member without revealing the member's true identity. A secure dating site will automatically separate this data and secure the private content using encryption and best security practices. This practice creates barriers that help to prevent the accidental or intentional disclosure of any identifiable private information to the public, including: name, address, phone number, pictures, etc. Ultimately, to keep members' identities safe, the underlying infrastructure must prevent the publishing of private content to a public zone.

Sites that follow the aforementioned principles create a secure and private dating haven for the herpes community. Individuals suffering from genital herpes have been exposed once, but it is their right to limit public exposure of their medical condition. A properly designed dating site will finally relieve the stress of exposure and rejection felt by the herpes dating community.

An Article by Ryan Stinson, Lead Developer at TwoCan.com

[1] Westheimer, Ruth K. (Ruth Karola), & Lehu, Pierre A. (2004). Doctor Ruth's guide to talking about herpes (1st ed.). New York: Grove/Atlantic.

Twocan.com was created as a fun, private and secure dating site for people with HSV2 (genital herpes). Twocan.com is a herpes dating site that opens doors to others making similar choices.
On Twocan.com members can easily search and review other members and safely build relationships without revealing their identity. A built-in communications and messaging system gives people the ability to safely meet and engage in discussions until they are comfortable moving to the next step, which may be sharing personal interests, a photo or video, phone conversation or even meeting in a safe place.
Our system is designed so that a relationship is built, both figuratively and literally, between two members before they can share personal and private information to one another. Our users can progressively build their trust with another user over time and through positive, safe online encounters. We provide a safe dating environment by allowing members to chat online using our instant messaging system or communicate through our internal email system. While in an instant messaging session members identify each other by their TwoCan ID. The TwoCan ID is an auto generated ID created upon registration that uniquely identifies users on our site, but also effectively hides their identity. Once a member feels comfortable enough to share personal information, they can initiate a relationship with another member on the site. If the relationship is accepted, each member will have the ability to share their private information.
Twocan.com is an easy-to-use, fun, classy and effective dating website designed to ensure that the millions of people affected by this issue have the proper forum for engaging in lasting relationships.