Herpes is more commonplace than we'd all like to think. Over half the U.S. population has herpes simplex-1 — the virus that causes cold sores — although many are asymptomatic, according to the CDC. One in 6 Americans carry the herpes simplex-2 virus, which causes genital outbreaks. HSV-1 can be also be spread to genitals via oral contact.
Here's the good news: New research unveiled at the American Society for Microbiology suggests that a new vaccine "could reduce the activity of the [HSV-2] virus, leading to fewer outbreaks and maybe even a lower transmission rate," Vocativ reports. The vaccine wouldn't cure herpes, but rather activate the immune system to prevent outbreaks.
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The treatment, called GEN-003, works differently than many vaccines. "[It recruits] T cells, which are critical to controlling chronic infections such as herpes," Dr. Kenneth Fife, an investigator and professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, explains in a press release. The participants in the study, who all suffered from frequent genital herpes outbreaks, were given three shots of GEN-003 over the course of a year. While the exact data is still being analyzed, the doctors found that the shots decreased the duration of the participants' herpes outbreaks.
"The importance of these clinical findings is that it represents a new approach to treatment, and may provide a new option for patients suffering from chronic, recurrent genital herpes," Dr. Fife says.
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