Herpes Cure
There is no herpes cure. Especially on the internet you may find lots of ads from people saying their drug or their herbal medication is a herpes cure, and while some of these may help alleviate some of the symptoms of herpes, there is still no herpes cure.
Cases of genital herpes have been increasing around the world, so considerable research is being conducted that’s devoted to finding a herpes cure. Currently in the United States and Canada, the Herpevac Trial for Women is going on at 68 medical centers, testing a potential herpes vaccine. It is a Phase 3 Blind Trial--some patients get the herpes vaccine and some get a Hepatitis A vaccine--none of the participants know which they are receiving. Currently in the United States there are 95 ongoing research studies on some condition associated with the herpes virus.
In Australia, a FaST study is being conducted on a new short-term herpes treatment. It is the largest study on herpes ever done in the country, where one in every eight sexually active people has herpes. Right now treatment requires ten doses of medicine over a total of five days--if successful, the new drug would only require four doses over two days. While not a herpes cure, it would be a significantly better treatment for the disease.
At present genital herpes is managed with antiviral medications combined with practicing safe sex.
Much of the research into discovering a herpes cure also involves the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes AIDS. People with herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2) are three times more likely to contract HIV. Results of a study to determine if a medication for herpes would lessen the likelihood of acquiring HIV were published in June, 2008. The study showed that among 3,172 men and women who were HIV negative and HSV2 positive, the herpes drug acyclovir did nothing to lower the likelihood of becoming HIV positive. The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other government agencies. The study did show, however, that acyclovir reduced genital ulcers by 47%, and the rate was 67% among those with HSV2.
While a herpes cure may be a thing of the future, scientists are also currently working on ways to improve treatment of the disease by making current medications more effective.. In other research, scientists are studying the cellular biology of the herpes simplex virus. Scientists have already been able to identify enzymes that the virus needs to survive and are directing their efforts towards finding drugs that keep the virus from using these targets.
Topical microbicides, or topical formulations designed to kill microbes, are also being investigated in fighting the spread of herpes. Included in this research are creams, lotions and gels that women could place in the vagina before sexual intercourse to prevent infection.
Although those infected are longing for a herpes cure, none is on the horizon. The good news is that research on the virus is at an all-time high, so the prospect of a cure in the future is a definite possibility. In the meantime, with the current available medications, those who have the herpes virus should be able to manage it with medication and safe sex practices.