One in 7 Canadians has genital herpes: StatsCan study
By Helen Branswell | The Canadian Press
As many as one in seven Canadians aged 14 to 59 may be infected with herpes simplex type 2 virus and more than 90 per cent of them may be unaware of their status, a new study suggests.
TORONTO — As many as one in seven Canadians aged 14 to 59 may be infected with herpes simplex type 2 virus and more than 90 per cent of them may be unaware of their status, a new study suggests.
The work provides the first Canadian prevalence estimates for herpes simplex 2 and chlamydia — another sexually transmitted infection — that are based on laboratory confirmed results. Previous estimates were based on data collected from positive cases or screening of people considered to be at high risk of having the infections, a system which may not provide a true picture of the scale of infections.
The research was part of the analysis of urine and blood samples and data collected during the 2009 to 2011 cycle of Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Measures Survey. The results, which are considered a representative sample of most Canadians in that age group, are based on the study of blood and urine samples taken from roughly 3,250 Canadians.
The study found that under one per cent — 0.7 per cent to be precise — of people tested were infected with chlamydia. Participants were asked if they had ever been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection and none of those who tested positive for chlamydia reported having received a diagnosis of an STI.
Of those who tested positive for herpes simplex 2, only six per cent were aware that they carried the virus. The remainder were unaware they were infected.
Although it is a reportable disease, chlamydia is what’s known as a silent infection. Most people have no symptoms. Antibiotics can cure the infection.
In women, infection can lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancies — pregnancies where the fertilized egg begins to develop in a fallopian tube or outside the uterus. In pregnant women, untreated chlamydia is associated with pre-term delivery in some cases. In men, complications are rarer, though infertility can occur.
Herpes simplex 2 is also often an asymptomatic infection, though it can appear as blisters and sores around the genitals, rectum or mouth. There is no cure for herpes, but antiviral treatments can lengthen the time between outbreaks of blisters.
Given the low prevalence of chlamydia in the study, the researchers who studied the data did not do further analyses on it.
For the herpes infections, however, they looked at prevalence based on gender, socioeconomic and educational status, age and racial background.
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8 Comments on “Error of Man: One in 7 Canadians has genital herpes”
Wow.. this is very serious.. i remember going to the doctor and telling me i had BOTH and i was devastated. i was told std’s were not curable, but three months later i go back to the doctor and im free of everything.. i just wnt people to know that prayer works and God can heal you from whatever!!!
I thank God for his mercy for sparing me from venereal disease when I was in the world fornicating, unfortunately the residual emotional consequences and the ungodly soul ties were probably worse than catching a disease. I still think about how rebellious I was towards God by sinning against my own body for so many years. For so many years I could not understand why I was so emotionally messed up until the good lord allowed me to understand that all the heartache and pain I was experiencing was because I was reaping the consequences of my sin. Thank God for drawing me to himself and for giving me a chance to repent and turn away from that life before it was too late. The point I’m trying to make is if you sow unto the flesh you reap corruption, but if you sow unto the spirit you will reap everlasting life! Please wait on the lord, a moment of fleshly pleasure is not worth a lifetime of heartache you will reap what you sow, I’m a living witness and testimony.
its true what the word says when we commit sexual immorality we sin against our own body.
Not surprising given the fact that abstinence is such a worldwide dirty word. Just another reason for the true-believing God-fearing single Christians to keep nickels between their knees like my granny used to say
EXministries is doing a great work for the Lord….. but will you all please talk about the new reality show that is coming out, The real pastors of LA or whatever that rubbish is. People need to open their eyes, deception is right in front of us and we CHOOSE to be gullible and ignore it.
I’ve been told over and over again, that Canada is much ‘freer’ when it comes to issues like this, maybe that’s part of the ‘problem’. Ministers going to prison for speaking against homosexuality and other issues that the Word of God tells us NOT to do.When we decide not to listen and follow God/Jesus, the price paid will be a very heavy one at that.
@ TT Amen…. Glory be to God TT, please don’t go back out there.
I am very glad to be sharing with everyone here for the wonderful work Dr Emuan has done in my life, for the past 2years i was diagnosed of herpes disease and ever since i have been very unhappy, until one day when i came across a shocking testimony about how Dr Emuan cured someone of his herpes disease, without wasting much time i contacted him immediately on his email address: Dremuansolution@gmail.com and after i explain myself to him about how terrible i have been, and he assure me that he will help me to cure my herpes disease, after he has prepared the herbal medicine he sent it to me and i started using it as he directed. Within 2weeks i was totally cure, i am forever grateful to Dr Emuan for helping me on my herpes disease to be cured contact his email address: Dremuansolution@gmail.com