Although its not news that condoms can protect against herpes, the news is how seldom people take it to heart, considering that genital herpes has no cure for those who catch it. A new study has found that risk of getting genital herpes is reduced by 30% when using a condom during sexual activity.
While it’s general knowledge that condoms are essential to protect against HIV Aids and other STD’s, they aren’t typically not thought of as herpes preventers. This is because herpes can be spread by skin to skin contact, in additional to genital to genital contact.
Despite that, if herpes molecules are on the genitals, a condom will protect you. In fact, the study which observed 5384 men and women who did not have herpes to begin with, followed up after 12 to 19 months, and verified that those who used condoms 100% of the time they had sex contracted herpes 30% less often that the group who didn’t’ use condoms.
The study’s author Emily Martin of Seattle Children’s Research Institute points out that condoms can hold water or air, which both consist of teeny tiny molecules. The molecules of a virus are much larger, so it stands to reason the herpes virus will not penetrate through a condom.
The prevention factor with condom use is not as high for herpes as for other STDs. If an infected person is shedding herpes from a section of skin not covered by a condom, the condom won’t help. But 30% more protection from herpes is worth using a condom.
Find out much more about herpes at the website for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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