According to the World Health Organization, 3.7 billion people under age 50 have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) - that's 67 percent of the global population in that age bracket. Another 417 million people (11 percent) between ages 15 and 49 worldwide have herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).

If Someone With Herpes Has No Sores, Can It Still Be Passed On? ... If you or your partner has herpes, reduce the risk of spread by: using a condom every time you have sex (vaginal, oral, or anal). The herpes virus can live outside of the area that a condom covers, though, so a condom may not always prevent the spread.