The Herpes Vaccine is Coming to Humans

A recent New Scientist article discussed a new experimental vaccine against the herpes simplex 2 virus (HSV2). There is currently no cure for the virus, which is contracted via sexual intercourse. The virus can lay dormant in nerve cells for years with no symptoms, but can also cause painful outbreaks of genital lesions.

Attempts to develop a vaccine thus far have failed, but an experimental vaccine developed at the University of Pennsylvania has shown promise by preventing genital lesions and the vast majority of low-level “hidden infections” in mice and guinea pigs that were tested. The team is now testing to determine if the vaccine can also protect against herpes simplex 1, which affects 70% of the entire world population. If the vaccine proves effective, it could be administered alongside the HPV vaccine.