The connection of Herpes and HIV

Several medical studies are reports have shown a strong connection between herpes and HIV, the virus that causes the world wide plague know as AIDS. A person infected with herpes is more likely to contract HIV. There are substantial biological evidences backing the claim that there is an increased likelihood for herpes infected patients to both acquire and transmit the deadly virus.

People infected with genital herpes are twice as likely to acquire HIV. Genital Herpes type 2 causes genital and rectal ulcers that provide a portal for HIV to be transmitted from one person to another. Not only does herpes make patients more susceptible to HIV, but it also makes HIV-infected patients more infectious. HIV-infected patients have weak immune system. This means that their body will have a hard time fighting off infection, making them more likely to have more severe cases of outbreaks in the pubic area. Immuno-compromised patients also suffer from severe asymptomatic viral shedding. These shedding occur normally in patients with a healthy immune system, but its rate increases on people suffering from a compromised body protection. Up to 95% of people infected with HIV are also infected with herpes simplex virus 1 or herpes simplex virus 2, sometime both.