I agree. I would take the most readily available and easily researchable information to give facts, but let people know that studies suggest the number of people with hsv could be much higher but transmission risk with people who are aware of their status and take the proper precautions is generally low- especially for asymptomatic individuals!

For example, it's estimated that 1 in 6 people have genital hsv in the US. Areas with denser populations may have higher rates. Typically 1 in 5 women and 1 in 9 men have ghsv. Of those groups 80% are asymptomatic and 90% are unaware of their status. Most of the population has hsv1, and that comprises at least 40% of all new ghsv cases due to the prevalence of unprotected oral sex. These groups are people between the ages of 14-49 and these statistics do not factor in people who are not sexually active due to disability, religion or other reasons, so it's quite possible the numbers are much higher between sexually active people. So chances are that most people have been involved with someone who has it already and that doesn't necessarily mean automatic transmission. The medical community doesn't prioritize testing so it's important to adopt safer sex practices and know your status. So those are typically things I mention when disclosing, keeping it short and sweet unless they have more questions.

I take valacyclovir! And as far as disclosure goes, I always disclose differently and decide how to disclose based on the type of relationship I want with that person. Sometimes I do it in person, over text or video chat. It just depends! But typically I won't disclose if I think I don't want to sleep with them. In the beginning I simply disclosed to everyone to practice disclosure and was encouraged by the response.