How common are cold sores, fever blisters?
By adulthood, over 90% of people in the United States are exposed to one or more of the viruses in the family that includes the cold sore virus. Scientists do not know why, but not everyone who is exposed to the virus develops recurring cold sores. About 40% of people exposed to the cold sore virus experience one or more lesions per year. Some people may get a cold sore 4 or more times per year. Some will get only one or two per year. Still others may have them only once in their lifetime. Many people are infected and don’t even know it. They are a significant reason there is a burgeoning epidemic of HSV infection around the world, as these people unknowingly spread the disease to uninfected people.
