Herpes

When most people say “herpes,” they are referring to genital herpes. In fact, herpes is the name for a whole family of viruses that cause a wide range of diseases. Called herpesviridae, members of this virus family are responsible for causing chickenpox, shingles, genital herpes, oral herpes (cold sores), and mononucleosis (“mono”), among many other diseases. Despite its prevalence, a lot of stigma and misunderstanding surrounds herpesviridae.