Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

GlaxoSmithKline, Call Your Ad Agency

Ew, like, ew:

About 26 percent of New York City adults have the virus that causes genital herpes — 7 percentage points above the US average, a city Health Department study finds.

The high incidence of sexually transmitted herpes simplex virus 2 — which has no cure — is worrisome because people with it are much more susceptible to the AIDS-causing HIV virus, officials said.

“A person who’s herpes-infected . . . is two or three times more likely to get HIV,” said Dr. Julia Schillinger, a department director who was the study’s lead author.

Nearly half of adult African-Americans in the city and more than 35 percent of Hispanics have the virus, according to the study.