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80% of adults in the United States are carriers of the virus that causes cold sores, and more than 50 million adults in the U.S. develop symptomatic episodes every year. Cold sore has a rate of frequency that varies from rare episodes to 12 or more recurrences per year. Most sufferers experience one to three attacks annually. The frequency and severity of outbreaks generally decreases over time. The virus is transmitted from cold sores and also when there are no symptoms, as it can make copies of itself on the skin in the absence of a blister. This phenomenon is called "asymptomatic shedding". 80% � 90% of adults under age 50 with HSV-1 caught it from someone close to them. |