The overall seroprevalence of HSV-2 in a national survey conducted from 2005 to 2008 was 16%, with women and African Americans disproportionately affected. Rates of infection were almost twice as high in women than in men (21% vs. 12%) and were more than three times higher in African Americans than in whites (39% vs. 12%). The population most affected was African American women, who had a herpes prevalence of 48%.
