https://herpes.org.uk/ gives the statistic for the UK.
Genital herpes is caused by a herpes simplex virus (type 1 or type 2) –
nearly everyone (70%) will catch at least one type, sooner or later.
Most don’t know they have it: 1 in 3 will have symptoms and get diagnosed. The others will have mild symptoms and so they are unlikely to be diagnosed – or they have no symptoms at all.
The word ‘incurable’ is used to make it seem important when it isn’t.
Some people get recurrences and we can advise on how these can be reduced and stopped.
It’s not the only infection that stays with us – chickenpox, glandular fever and many other infections also hide in the body. Nobody makes a fuss about them.