My Letter to Barbara Walters

I'm overwhelmed with the recent airing on public television of the negative comments made toward herpes. I understand, as a young person with herpes, that there is a lot of misinformation out there, including information Doctors give out. People believe herpes is deemed for "the dirty."

I was raped. I now have herpes. I am 21 years old and have done a lot of healing in the past 2 years, dealing with the assault, and coping with this new condition. It's so incredibly sad how misinformed the world is about herpes, including the fact that most people believe regular STD screening includes a test for herpes. It does not!!! Can you believe this? People, including some doctors, believe that one does not need to be tested unless there are visible signs. 90% of people with herpes don't know they have it until a partner comes back and tells them they are having symptoms.

Most adults have some form of herpes in their body, which they contracted at a young age. Oral Herpes shows up as a cold sore. This too can be passed on without symptoms through kissing or oral sex. Yet a cold sore does not hold the same stigma as the word "herpes."

I know Meredith has a club for overweight children. What if a certain amount of time was dedicated to erasing the stigma and informing people CORRECT information about herpes? This would be a great opportunity to take a step to inform people about how common and misunderstood herpes is.

I probably would not understand all that I do about herpes if I had not contracted it. But this is a part of me now, and I wish to do all that I can to re-inform our world about this sneaky condition.

Thank you so much for this opportunity and I sure hope amends can be made for the incorrect assumption Joy has made public.

Sarah Bishop

   Herpes Awareness ~ Be proactive and put a stop to ignorance!

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