[Genital herpes: practical impact of the 2001 consensus conference?]

Genital herpes, usually a benign infection, has nevertheless an important psychological impact by its recurrent character. The clinical management needs first a well done patient counseling, and second, the biological documentation of the virus excretion. When this is achieved, different treatment strategies may be proposed aiming mainly acute crisis. There is, however, a strong trend towards the prevention of recurrences using suppressive antiviral treatment or modulating the immune system (vaccines, immunomodulators). Indeed, there is a hope that these new approaches may lead to the reduction of disease transmission by diminishing the viral shedding.