Tribune News Network
Doha
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have found that more than one in 10 of the population in Asia is infected with the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), yet prevalence is declining by two percent yearly.
The study was conducted by the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at WCM-Q and WHO Collaborating Center for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections to address one of the goals of the WHO’s Global Health Sector Strategy on Sexually Transmitted Infections. The study provided the first detailed characterization of HSV-2 epidemiology in Asia, including the WHO regions of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.
Writing in the prestigious journal Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, the researchers said the virus was more common in women than men.
Sawsan Al Mukdad, joint first author of the study and researcher at WCM-Q, said: "We applied state-of-the-art methodologies to assess HSV-2 epidemiology in Asia. We found that approximately one in every 10 individuals (12%) is infected with HSV-2 in Asia, but the prevalence is declining by two percent per annually. Prevalence increased gradually from five percent in people under 20 years of age to 27 percent in those over 60, but women have a 70 percent higher prevalence rate compared to men.”
HSV-2 infection is a globally prevalent sexually transmitted infection, which can cause irritation and ulcers in the pelvic region. It is also linked to an increased risk of HIV acquisition and transmission.
Manale Harfouche, joint first author of the study and senior researcher at WCM-Q said: "HSV-2 infection was found to be the cause of 48 percent of cases where patients present with ulcers in the pelvic region and 76 percent of genital herpes cases, highlighting the disease burden caused by this infection in Asia. Our findings fill a gap in our understanding of HSV-2 infection in the global context and provide insights about its epidemiology in this region with implications for the global epidemiology.”
Dr Laith Abu-Raddad, principal investigator of the study and professor of population health sciences at WCM-Q, said: "In the context of there being no public health programmes targeted to prevent and control HSV-2 transmission, this infection is widespread with serious disease consequences. There is a need to expand and broaden HSV-2 research and surveillance and to accelerate ongoing efforts to develop HSV-2 vaccines.”
The study, entitled ‘Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 in Asia: A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression’, was conducted with funding from the Qatar National Research Fund through the National Priorities Research Programme (NPRP 9-040-3-008) and by pilot funding from the Biomedical Research Programme at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar.
Doha
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have found that more than one in 10 of the population in Asia is infected with the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), yet prevalence is declining by two percent yearly.
The study was conducted by the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at WCM-Q and WHO Collaborating Center for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections to address one of the goals of the WHO’s Global Health Sector Strategy on Sexually Transmitted Infections. The study provided the first detailed characterization of HSV-2 epidemiology in Asia, including the WHO regions of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.
Writing in the prestigious journal Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, the researchers said the virus was more common in women than men.
Sawsan Al Mukdad, joint first author of the study and researcher at WCM-Q, said: "We applied state-of-the-art methodologies to assess HSV-2 epidemiology in Asia. We found that approximately one in every 10 individuals (12%) is infected with HSV-2 in Asia, but the prevalence is declining by two percent per annually. Prevalence increased gradually from five percent in people under 20 years of age to 27 percent in those over 60, but women have a 70 percent higher prevalence rate compared to men.”
HSV-2 infection is a globally prevalent sexually transmitted infection, which can cause irritation and ulcers in the pelvic region. It is also linked to an increased risk of HIV acquisition and transmission.
Manale Harfouche, joint first author of the study and senior researcher at WCM-Q said: "HSV-2 infection was found to be the cause of 48 percent of cases where patients present with ulcers in the pelvic region and 76 percent of genital herpes cases, highlighting the disease burden caused by this infection in Asia. Our findings fill a gap in our understanding of HSV-2 infection in the global context and provide insights about its epidemiology in this region with implications for the global epidemiology.”
Dr Laith Abu-Raddad, principal investigator of the study and professor of population health sciences at WCM-Q, said: "In the context of there being no public health programmes targeted to prevent and control HSV-2 transmission, this infection is widespread with serious disease consequences. There is a need to expand and broaden HSV-2 research and surveillance and to accelerate ongoing efforts to develop HSV-2 vaccines.”
The study, entitled ‘Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 in Asia: A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression’, was conducted with funding from the Qatar National Research Fund through the National Priorities Research Programme (NPRP 9-040-3-008) and by pilot funding from the Biomedical Research Programme at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar.