USPSTF Recommends Against Serologic Screening for Genital Herpes Infection Citing Lack of New Evidence

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has reaffirmed its 2016¹ recommendations against routine serologic screening for genital herpes.

A common sexually transmitted infection, genital herpes is caused by two related viruses: herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex 2 (HSV-2). There is currently no cure for herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, and it is a lifelong disease.

The investigators released their reaffirmed recommendation, noting that the “harms outweigh the benefits for population-based screening for genital HSV infection in asymptomatic adolescents and adults, including pregnant persons.”²

The investigators considered the following when reaffirming their recommendations:

• There was no evidence of reliable and externally validated risk stratification tools to identify patients more or less like to have genital herpes.
• There were no new studies that reported the harms for or treatment of genital herpes in asymptomatic patients.
• There was a lack of studies that evaluated the efficacy of antiviral medications to reduce genital HSV-2 viral shedding.
• There was limited evidence of the benefit of early identification and early treatment of HSV-2 in asymptomatic patients.

Further, in their statement, the investigators emphasized the need for more studies to evaluate screening, detection, and management of asymptomatic genital HSV infection.

Reference:

1. US Preventative Services Task Force. Serologic screening for genital herpes infection JAMA. 2016;316(23):2525-2530. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16776
2. US Preventative Services Task Force. Serologic screening for genital herpes infection. JAMA. 2023;329(6):502-507. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.0057