I'm surprised that there aren't yet any pharmaceutical companies (or NIH?) willing to fund further research into an Herpes vaccine. A lot of people would pay good money for this vaccine: there's definitely a commercial market for it!

The Herpes virus is incredibly widely spread throughout most industrialised nations: 30% is commonly agreed to be the infection rate. Seems high, but then, everyone's having sex, so it's really not surprising, especially as condoms don't prevent Herpes infections. We just have to face the reality that 1 in 3 people have or have had an STI. Or stop having sex - like that's gonna happen!

Herpes is more than just unnattractive and uncomfortable. It can cause serious problems in unborn babies, and has been linked to pre-eclampsia (which can kill infant and mother both) and to cervical cancer.