Herpes simplex virus type 1 genital herpes in young women: current trend in Northern Finland

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has become more common as the cause of genital herpes (GH), particularly in young women.1–4 It is not well known whether the trend is general or whether it occurs mainly in urban environments. We aimed at elucidating the role of HSV-1 in GH in the sparsely populated Northern Finland using virological samples from genital HSV infections from various local clinics. The study involved 400 HSV-positive genital viral culture samples collected during the years 1991–2010. The samples …