On the bright side, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered a strategy for preventing infections due to herpessimplex viruses (herpes simplex virus 2, the virus that causes genital herpes, and herpessimplex virus 1).
This BMC Infectious Diseases paper cited by Wolf showed that mice instilled with various vaginal gels containing microbicide experienced greater herpes simplex-2 infections when challenged three days later.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1 in 6 Americans (16.2 percent) between 14 and 49 are infected with herpessimplex virus type 2.