There’s a Very Good Chance You Have Herpes

Raise your hand if you know someone who has herpes. Yup, thought so.

And for the first time ever, scientists have given an official estimate of just how many people around the globe are afflicted with this super-common STD. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report published in the journal PLoS One stating that a whopping two-thirds of the world's population under 50 (we're talking 3.7 billion people here) have the herpes simplex one virus (HSV-1). 

HSV-1 is transmitted orally (think: by kissing or sharing utensils), and although it most often causes cold sores around the mouth, it can be a cause of genital herpes, too (it can be transmitted from mouth to genitals during oral sex). But most cases of genital herpes are caused by the HSV-2 virus. Still, there's no cure for either form of the STD—the painful bumps come back whenever your immune system's been compromised in some way.