Research reveals the enormous economic toll of genital herpes infections

A recent study estimates that genital herpes infections and their consequences cost the global economy more than I$35 billion in 2016. The findings also showed that two-thirds of the economic burden came from the Americas and the Western Pacific (I$20.8). billion). Most of this economic burden was due to the direct medical costs of treating symptomatic genital herpes.

“Using data from 194 countries, we comprehensively estimated that herpes cost the global economy I$35.3 billion in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity in 2016. The economic burden of herpes was unevenly distributed across regions and disproportionately affected high- and upper-middle-income countries,” said the corresponding author. Nathorn Chaiyakunapruk, a professor of pharmacotherapy from the University of Utah Health’s College of Pharmacy and colleagues wrote in the study. “This is likely due to a higher number of people seeking care, higher use of diagnostic tests and higher therapy costs, compared to other regions.”

According to a BMJ Global Health According to a 2016 study, approximately 13.2% of the world’s population aged 15 to 49 years were diagnosed with herpes simplex virus-2, and another 67% of the world’s population aged 0 to 49 years were infected with herpes simplex virus-1. The type 2 variant of the herpes virus causes genital herpes, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world. It is an extremely painful condition characterized by recurring genital lesions that health care providers call genital ulcers.

“The global economic burden was greatest for herpes simplex virus-2 disease, 7.7 times higher compared to herpes simplex virus-1 genital tract disease (I$30.8 billion versus I$4.0 billion), the authors explained. “This is not surprising as the global burden of herpes simplex virus-2 is much higher, given the more frequent sexual transmission and higher recurrence rates for herpes simplex virus-2.”

“Although neonatal herpes and HIV attributable to HSV-2 cost an estimated I$466 million, both have very high per-case treatment costs compared to genital herpes,” they added.

However, the authors emphasized that the magnitude of the economic burden did not correspond to the prevalence of the disease among entire population groups. Although African regions reported the highest number of people with genital herpes (59 million), the actual number of people accessing medical treatment was smaller than in other parts of the world.

“The results of our study highlight the importance of a concerted effort to accelerate the development of herpes vaccines. Provided that herpes vaccines could reduce the number of genital herpes infections in the population or reduce the frequency or severity of genital herpes outbreaks, the significant economic costs could be averted,” the authors said. “Additionally, because people with herpes simplex virus-2 infection are more vulnerable to acquiring HIV infection, a vaccine against the virus may also be useful in reducing HIV incidence.”

A herpes simplex virus-2 infection can triple the risk of sexually acquired HIV infection. On the other hand, herpes simplex virus-1 spreads through saliva or oral contact, but in some cases it can also cause genital herpes. Both variants of this virus can result in a neonatal infection. Although rare, newborns who become infected with herpes have a high mortality rate.

“This is particularly important in regions where the prevalence of HIV infections is high, such as the African region, where we estimate that HIV, attributable to herpes infections, accounts for approximately 10% of the total economic burden of herpes in the region took,” she added. “Genital herpes can lead to stigmatization and harmful effects on sexual relationships, given its lifelong and recurrent nature. Currently, available interventions, such as antiviral medications, can reduce symptoms but cannot cure or prevent transmission at the population level.”

The research was published in the journal BMC Global and Public Health.