Researchers estimated the economic cost of genital herpes across the globe in 2016, with the Western Pacific region and the Americas the most burdened. Genital herpes cost the world $35.3 billion (€32.
9 billion) in medical care and lost productivity in a single year, new estimates show. In 2016, the viral strain that causes genital herpes (HSV-2) and its consequences accounted for $31.2 billion (€29 billion) in costs, while HSV-1 (which can cause both oral and genital herpes) cost an estimated $4 billion (€3.
7 billion), according to the researchers from the College of Pharmacy of University of Utah Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other academic institutions. While prior studies have estimated the economic cost of herpes in , the researchers said their analysis of 194 countries is the first to tally the global financial toll from genital herpes, which is among the most common sexually transmitted infections. About 67 per cent of the world’s population have HSV-1, while 13 per cent have HSV-2, Most infected people have mild or no symptoms, but herpes can cause uncomfortable cold sores, blisters, or ulcers that reappear over time and can spread through skin-to-skin contact.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of the importance of viruses as a threat to health, often going well beyond the acute infection,” Martin McKee, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and former president of the European Public Health Association (.
