Efforts to prevent infection include not having sex, using condoms, and only having sex with someone who is not infected. Once infected, there is no cure. Antiviral medications may, however, prevent outbreaks or shorten outbreaks if they occur. The long-term use of antivirals may also decrease the risk of further spread.

In 2015, about 846 million people (12% of the world population) had genital herpes. In the United States,