Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #119175

Charles Ebel, Senior Director, Program Development, American Social Health Association (ASHA), P.O. Box 13827, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, 919-361-8458, chaebe@ashastd.org

Efforts towards a concerted national program to curb the herpes epidemic have been hampered by a number of factors, including poor understanding of the epidemic, lack of a preventive vaccine, and a paucity of data on secondary prevention strategies such as condom use for those infected. While a herpes vaccine is still years from the market, the landmark publication in January 2004 (New England Journal of Medicine) demonstrating the use of once daily suppressive antiviral therapy to significantly reduce sexual transmission rates has re-awakened interest among clinicians and public health practitioners. Significant changes in clinical management of genital herpes and related health policies are anticipated in the next 12 to 24 months. A revised set of STD Treatment Guidelines will be issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late 2005 or early 2006. These will delineate increased use of type-specific serologic tests for HSV and address the role of antiviral therapy in reducing transmission risk from infected persons. Additionally, recommendations for changes in prenatal screening to include the addition of type-specific serologic tests (TSST) for herpes are under debate, following the publication in December 2004 (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology) of evidence supporting the effectiveness of such an approach. This talk will introduce discussion on the clinical and public health implications of these potential changes.

Learning Objectives:

• See abstract

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.