| Title | The burden of infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2: seroprevalence study in Estonia. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2004 |
| Authors | Uusküla, Anneli, Mari Nygard-Kibur, Frances M. Cowan, Philippe Mayaud, Rebecca S. French, Jamie N. R. Robinson, and David W. G. Brown |
| Journal | Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pagination | 727-32 |
| Date Published | 2004 |
| ISSN | 0036-5548 |
| Keywords | Adolescent, Adult, Age Distribution, Child, Child, Preschool, Communicable Disease Control, Confidence Intervals, Cross-Sectional Studies, Estonia, Female, Herpes Genitalis, Herpes Simplex, Herpesvirus 1, Human, Herpesvirus 2, Human, Humans, Logistic Models, Male, Odds Ratio, Pregnancy, Risk Assessment, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Sex Distribution |
| Abstract | Information on age- and gender-specific prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 infections is crucial to guide genital herpes control strategies. Such data are not available from the newly independent Eastern European countries. We present of study of the age- and gender-specific prevalence of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in low risk populations in Estonia. Serum samples from 1016 children, 794 first trimester antenatal women, and 1036 blood donors (462M, 574F) were tested for HSV IgG antibodies by type-specific HSV-1 and HSV-2 assays. High seroprevalence rates of HSV-1 among children, pregnant women and (non-paid) blood donors were found. HSV-2 infection was not detected among boys. Gender differences in HSV-2 seroprevalence rates among people of reproductive age were observed: higher rates were recorded among pregnant women (23%) and female blood donors (21%), compared to 11% among male blood donors. HSV-1 seroprevalence was high in adults. HSV-2 seroprevalence was higher among females than males and increased substantially with age. HSV-2 prevalence in these non-high risk populations was relatively high, and may indicate a risk for an impending sexually- and STI- driven HIV epidemic. |
| Alternate Journal | Scand. J. Infect. Dis. |
