Condoms Help Prevent Spread of Herpes

Condoms can help to protect people against genital herpes, a study finds. But the protection is only partial. That’s because herpes can be spread by simple skin contact as well as by sex. Researchers used data from six studies. They included a total of 5,384 people. These men and women did not have herpes when the studies started. Within 12 to 19 months, 415 people became infected. The risk of getting infected was 30% less among those who said they always used condoms. This means that 70 people using condoms got infected for every 100 non-users who got infected. Protection was less for people who only sometimes used condoms. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about it July 13.