HIV Digest	HIV Digest Archive

In a new study of more than 1,800 adults at high risk of genital herpes, those who reported usually using condoms were one-quarter less likely to test positive for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) than those who did not.

According to lead author Dr. Anna Wald of the University of Washington-Seattle, the level of HSV-2 protection conferred by condoms had not previously been clear. Wald and colleagues conducted an earlier study that showed consistent condom use helped prevent genital herpes in women; however, the results for men were inconclusive. The new research, Wald said, "is the first study to show it's effective in both women and men."

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Wald said HSV-2 is different from other STDs in that it is present in the skin around the genitals, which is not covered by condoms. While condoms do not provide complete protection against HSV-2, they do appear to lower the risk of transmission, Wald said.

Study participants were considered at high risk for HSV-2 because they reported either an STD infection or four or more sex partners in the preceding year. During the 18-month study, slightly more than 6 percent of males and females contracted HSV-2. Those who reported using condoms during sex at least three-quarters of the time were one-quarter less likely to become infected than those who reported usually having unsafe sex.

Editor's Note: from Reuters Health