Why is HSV-2 common among gay men but rare in the general population?

There are studies showing 25-50% of gay men have HSV-2

But according to the CDC, only 11.9% of Americans had HSV-2 in 2015. The number is probably a lot lower now since percent has been consistently falling fast year after year, it used to be 22% in 1994.

It's strange since even the percent of people who have HIV is not dropping at all

Women are much more likely to be infected so why is it relatively common among MSM but so rare in the general population and seems to be dropping fast?

Posted Apr 22, 2026, 9:52 PM UTC

06

Comments aren't archived yet

This post had 6 comments on Reddit. Comments for this period haven't been loaded into the archive yet.