The risk of transmission of herpes can be affected by sexual behavior. The risk increased with more frequent sexual activity, but condom use offered significant protection, at least for susceptible women. Because HSV can be shed over a large area of the genital region, it has not been clear whether condom use protects against transmission of HSV-2 as well as it protects against other sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms markedly reduce the risk of acquisition of HSV-2 in women, but not in men. Thus, sheathing of the penis with a condom may effectively reduce transmission from penile skin.

In the United States, an estimated 500 000 persons acquire HSV-2 infection each year, of whom an estimated 350 000 are women. The lack of protection with condom use among men may reflect more likely exposure of men to female genital sites from which the virus is shed. Contact with vulvar or perianal areas, the most common sites of viral shedding in women, may be a factor in the lower effectiveness of condoms in transmission from women to men. Alternatively, men may be more likely to limit condom use to situations with higher risk of acquisition, such as lesions in the source partner. Unfortunately, condom use remains infrequent in the general population.

The role of suppressive antiviral therapy in reducing the risk of sexual transmission is currently under investigation. While changes in sexual activity and practices over the course may account for alterations in acquisition rates, biological explanations of declining risk of infection are also possible. Genetic differences in the likelihood of acquisition of HSV may be present. While receptors for HSV have recently been found, alleles that confer high or low susceptibility to HSV infection have not yet been identified. Furthermore, repeated mucosal exposure to HSV-2 may result in immunization of the person that offers at least partial protection from the infection.

Use of condoms and changes in sexual behavior can reduce the transmission of genital herpes. While condom efficacy has been previously demonstrated for HIV infection, prevention of genital herpes can now be added to reasons to use condoms for the general population. Whether this knowledge will lead to increased use of condoms is unknown. While most people correctly identify genital herpes as a common infection, few perceive themselves at risk for HSV-2 acquisition. The availability of accurate, type-specific serologic tests for HSV-2 is likely to identify many people with previously unrecognized infection. Counseling to encourage consistent condom use is appropriate for these patients, especially for men with HSV-2 infection.

The emergence of drug-resistant strains of HSV is a growing problem and represents a serious concern both in terms of clinical management and of viral ecology. Resistance to all major herpes treatments, such as acyclovir, vidarabine and foscarnet, has been increasingly observed, especially amongst those immuno-compromised. Furthermore, DNA polymerase mutants induced by prolonged or repeated therapy with vidarabine or foscarnet are often resistant to combination therapy with existing compounds for a potentially stronger genital herpes treatment. These observations underscore the critical importance of the unique treatment for herpes. They are new, highly effectiveplant medicinefor herpes simplex treatment .

The antiviral properties of medicinal plant extracts particularly for herpes treatment have received considerable attention all over the world. Plant medicines, just as the name imply, are bulk drugs and preparations that take plant primary metabolites such as protein and amylose and secondary metabolites such as alkaloid, phenols and terpene as active ingredient. Traditional Chinese medicines and Chinese patent drugs made from plants in the market are all plant medicines. Plant medicines play a dominant role in natural drugs. For recent years, plant medicines are considered to be very important because of the unique advantage in the treatment.

Although synthetic drugs are effective, they have much side effects with high price. Some ailments could not be treated by synthetic drugs. In contrary, plant medicines are natural and have broad prospects in treating difficult and complicated diseases such as virus diseases with insignificant toxicity and side effects. Many people in America don't have health insurance and taking medicine is a major economic burden for them. For some common diseases or mild diseases, it's the most economical choice to take plant medicine in accordance with the symptoms. To learn more, please go to .