EAST HANOVER, N.J., April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a nationwide survey released today, nearly 80 percent of Americans are unaware of how widespread genital herpes has become and 65 percent of people say that they are "not at all" concerned about contracting the disease. These new figures, which reaffirm the common "it can't happen to me" attitude, contrast sharply with the real incidence figures of genital herpes, a chronic and incurable virus. Statistics show that genital herpes affects 1 out of every 5 teens and adults in the United States and has increased a staggering 30 percent over the last two decades.
"The fact that so many people have genital herpes, yet virtually everybody underestimates the pervasiveness of the disease and their own personal risk is what I call the herpes disconnect," stated Linda Alexander, PhD, FAAN, president of the American Social Health Association (ASHA). "This disparity needs to be addressed because 90 percent of those who have genital herpes remain undiagnosed. People should feel comfortable discussing STD's like genital herpes with their healthcare provider to ensure that they get the correct diagnosis and treatment."
Genital Herpes: Real Risk Versus Perceived Risk
The survey, conducted by The Center for Survey Research and Analysis (CSRA) at the University of Connecticut, showed that nearly 8 out of 10 people were unable to select the correct prevalence of genital herpes in the United States and 8 out of 10 people considered themselves either "not at all concerned" or "not too concerned" about contracting the disease. Yet statistics from ASHA indicate that 50 million Americans have genital herpes, and there are 1 million newly diagnosed infections each year.
Furthermore, the survey revealed that women were less concerned with contracting the disease than men (70 versus 58 percent). Yet, the incidence rate of contracting genital herpes is higher in women than in men (1 out of 4 vs. 1 out of 5), which may be because male to female transmission
is more efficient than female to male transmission. Additionally, when asked about treatments, only 26 percent of the people surveyed knew that treatment is available that can reduce outbreaks by 80 percent."I see many genital herpes patients who have suffered painful and frequent outbreaks for years because they were unaware of treatments that significantly reduce the number of outbreaks," said Hilary Baldwin, vice-chair and associate professor of clinical dermatology at the State University of New York (SUNY) Health and Science Center in Brooklyn. "A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that by using the prescription medication Famvir® as prescribed, the frequency of outbreaks from genital herpes can be reduced from an average of 5 to 1 over a one-year period. If more people knew this, I think they would more readily seek diagnosis and treatment." In clinical trials, 29 percent of Famvir patients were recurrence free after one year, versus 6 percent on placebo.
The Good News - Public Understanding Is Moving in the Right Direction
"Although the survey indicates that we still have a long way to go in educating the public about the risk, we have made strides in helping people understand how to better protect themselves from contracting genital herpes," commented ASHA's Alexander.
According to the survey, 75 percent of respondents were aware that genital herpes could be transmitted to a partner even if the infected individual is not having an outbreak. This asymptomatic transmission is known as viral shedding, which occurs when the virus is no longer dormant and begins to replicate. Although no symptoms are present, the virus can be transmitted during this time. Respondents also knew (76 percent) that the use of a latex condom does not fully protect against transmission.
Treatments Are Available
Although there is no cure for genital herpes, the antiviral medication Famvir® (famciclovir), when used for suppressive therapy can reduce the frequency and duration of outbreaks from 5 to 1 over a one-year period. In clinical trials, 29 percent of patients were recurrence free after one year versus 6 percent on placebo. Famvir has also been shown to reduce all symptoms associated with episodic or individual outbreaks of genital herpes. Famvir is proven to abort viral shedding 47 percent sooner compared to placebo. In addition, genital herpes is one of the most common co-infections in HIV-infected people and Famvir is the only antiviral medication indicated to treat recurrent genital herpes in HIV-infected patients. Famvir was also shown to have a favorable safety profile in clinical trials. The most common side effects were headache (episodic genital herpes: 23.6 vs. 16.4% for placebo; genital herpes suppression: 39.3 vs. 42.9% for placebo), nausea (episodic genital herpes: 10 vs. 9.5% for placebo), and diarrhea (genital herpes suppression: 9 vs. 9.5% for placebo).
ASHA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to stopping STDs and their harmful consequences to individuals, families and communities. ASHA's programs include hotlines and Web sites to provide up-to-date information on genital herpes and other STDs. People wanting to learn more about genital herpes can visit http://www.ashastd.org or consult trained health communications specialists at the toll-free National Herpes Hotline at 1-877-411-HERPES.
The survey polled 1,000 people nationwide via random telephone sampling and was conducted by The Center for Survey Research and Analysis (CSRA) at the University of Connecticut. The confidence level of the sample is 95 percent with a sampling error of + or - 3 percent. The research determined the level of awareness among the general public of genital herpes treatment and disease awareness. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation sponsored the survey.
About Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Famvir is marketed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Located in East Hanover, New Jersey, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of the Novartis Group (NYSE: NVS), a world leader in healthcare with core businesses in pharmaceuticals, consumer health, generics, eye-care, and animal health. In 2000, the Group's ongoing businesses achieved sales of CHF 29.1 billion (USD 17.2 billion) and invested approximately CHF 4.0 billion (USD 2.4 billion) in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis employs about 67,600 people and operates in over 140 countries around the world. For further information please consult http://www.novartis.com/.
SOURCE: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
WEB SITE: http://www.novartis.com/
WEB SITE: http://www.ashastd.org/
CO: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; American Social Health Association
ST: New Jersey
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