Thirty-one million Americans have genital herpes. That works out to one in six people between 15 and 74 years old. Symptoms appear between one and thirty days after transmission.
Some people have either no or mild symptoms.
Symptoms may appear and disappear periodically. Genital herpes may be transmitted regardless of the presence of symptoms. Stress has been linked to outbreaks in people with genital herpes. Herpes cannot not be spread from toilet seats or damp towels. The presence of sores increases the risk of transmission during sexual contact.