Skin-to-skin contact will most obviously include sexual activity but it can also be something as innocent as a peck on the cheek or forehead.

3 So, in terms of percentages, over half of the population worldwide is infected with at least some form of the herpes virus. 2 The WHO estimates that worldwide, about 67% of the population ages 50 and under is infected with HSV-1, which commonly causes oral herpes, and 11% of those ages 14 – 49 is infected with HSV-2, the common cause of genital herpes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1 in 6 individuals between the ages of 14 and 49 in the United States is infected with genital herpes. Many infections come with only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. With that amount of the population in mind, do most people have herpes? Not to add more anxiety to the question, but the truth is, there’s no definitiv answer as to how many people in the world are infected with herpes.

1 Both oral herpes and genital herpes are highly contagious and passed almost exclusively through skin-to-skin contact with an active or open sore. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), worldwide levels of herpes involve more than 3.7 billion adults (younger than age 50) who carry the HSV-1 virus and another 417 million who carry HSV-2 in their bodies. The herpes simplex virus (HSV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD) worldwide.

However, it’s not necessarily impossible. It is highly unlikely, even unheard of to catch herpes from a toilet seat. So, we figured we’d take the time to put this urban legend to rest once and for all. Misguided sex-ed teachers, high school locker room talk, and the invention of social media have certainly not helped to clear up this herpes myth in the slightest.

The notion that you can contract genital herpes from a toilet seat has been floating around for quite some time.

Can you get herpes from touching