Please increase research funding to promote a cure and better treaments for HSV 1 and 2.

Herpes is a national, and worldwide epidemic. It increases one's chances of acquiring HIV, it causes blindness, it has been linked to Alzheimer's and certainly causes depression, anxiety and untold suffering amongst the afflicted and their loved ones. Additionally, herpes makes individuals who have AIDS more infectious.  Equally important, 2011 evidence from the University of Iowa has proven that acquiring hsv2 early by young men significantly increases the risk of developing prostate cancer  - http://www.internalmedicinenews.com/specialty-focus/men-s-health/single-article-page/genital-herpes-may-double-prostate-cancer-risk.html.

The CDC estimates that 48 million people in the United States alone suffers from genital herpes. It is estimated that there are 500,000 new cases each year in the United States alone. Various estimates indicate the direct costs of treating genital herpes alone to be between 1 and 3 billion dollars per annum. This does not take into account productivity losses and the costs to treat resulting depression, etc. Additionally, this also does not reflect the economic burden associated with HSV-1 or oral/facial herpes which affects as many as 50% of the United States population and as many as 90% of the US population 50 years of age and older.

As a signer of this petition, taxpayer and proud citizen of the United States I respectfully ask that you do everything within your powers to increase research funding for this terrible disease!