Results of the questionnaire
| Questions | Correct answers (%) | Incorrect answers (%) | Not sure (%) | No answer (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *(T = true, F = false, NS = not sure. The correct answer, in bold, is in parentheses and following questions). | ||||
| Section A: General questions about genital herpes | 62 | 18 | 15 | 5 |
| Q1: Genital herpes is the commonest cause of genital ulceration in developed countries (T-F-NS)* | 86 | 4 | 10 | – |
| Q2: Proportion of HSV–1 causing genital herpes is decreasing (T–F–NS) | 53 | 4 | 41 | 2 |
| Q3: GU medicine clinic attendees have higher prevalence of genital herpes than general population (T–F–NS) | 82 | 9 | 9 | 0.5 |
| Q4: Incidence of neonatal herpes in UK per 100 000 live births (<2–20–200) | 27 | 56 | – | 17 |
| Section B: Shedding, transmission, and clinical presentation | 63 | 17 | 19 | 1 |
| Q5: Majority of infected individuals with genital herpes are unaware of their infection (T–F–NS) | 57 | 28 | 15 | – |
| Q6: Source partners in most transmission events are unaware of their infection (T–F–NS) | 73 | 11 | 15 | 0.5 |
| Q7: Patients shed the virus and transmit it even in absence of clinical signs (T–F–NS) | 77 | 8 | 13 | 2 |
| Q8: Most transmission occurs during periods of asymptomatic viral shedding (T–F–NS) | 44 | 19 | 36 | 1 |
| Section C: Type specific serotesting of genital herpes | 41 | 8 | 49 | 2 |
| Q9: Positive serological test for HSV-2 essentially Indicates previous genital herpes infection (T–F–NS) | 48 | 9 | 41 | 2 |
| Q10: Serological testing can differentiate between HSV-1 and HSV-2 (T–F–NS) | 43 | 3 | 51 | 3 |
| Q11: Serological testing can differentiate between oral and genital HSV-1 infection (T–F–NS) | 31 | 12 | 54 | 2 |
| Sections A + B: | 63 | 17 | 17 | 3 |
| Sections A + B + C: | 56 | 15 | 26 | 3 |
| Section D: Attitude towards genital herpes serotesting: | ||||
| Q12: Do you support the availability of this testing (at the present time) at least in GUM clinics? | Yes | No. | Not sure | No answer |
| 78% | 1.6% | 17.5% | 2.7% | |
| Q13: Do you see this testing used in routine screening for STDs or in selected cases? | Routine | Selected cases | No answer | |
| 76% | 21% | 3% | ||