Which STDs can’t be cured?
The WHO links eight pathogens to the greatest incidence of STIs, and four of them are currently curable: syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. The other 4 are viral infections: hepatitis B, herpes simplex virus (HSV), HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV).
For herpes and HIV, the WHO says the most effective medicines available are antivirals that can change the course of the disease, though they cannot cure it. NICHD names a wider set of viruses that cause STIs with no cure, including HIV, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus. NICHD’s list also includes hepatitis, which is broader than hepatitis B, and cytomegalovirus.
| Infection | Cure? | What treatment does | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genital herpes | No cure | Medicines can prevent or shorten outbreaks | 572,000 new infections in 2018, ages 14 to 49 |
| HIV | Currently no effective cure | Most people can get it under control within six months | More than 1.2 million Americans estimated |
| HPV | No treatment for the virus itself | Treatment is for the conditions HPV causes, not the virus | More than 42 million Americans, disease-causing types |
| Hepatitis B | Medicines aren’t a cure, and only helpful for some | Antivirals can help slow damage to the liver | About 640,000 adults with chronic infection |
What does "no cure" mean for herpes?
There is no cure for genital herpes.
Medicines can prevent or shorten outbreaks, and a daily anti-herpes medicine can make it less likely you pass the infection on to a sex partner.
The CDC says the infection is lifelong and manageable with medicine. The number of outbreaks may decrease over time. For genital HSV-2, the American Sexual Health Association puts the average at four to five outbreaks a year. Suppressive therapy reduces frequency of genital herpes recurrences by 70%–80% among patients who have frequent recurrences
.
Treatment with valacyclovir 500 mg daily decreases the rate of HSV-2 transmission for discordant heterosexual couples in which a partner has a history of genital HSV-2 infection
. Those couples should be encouraged to consider suppressive antiviral therapy as part of a strategy for preventing transmission, in addition to consistent condom use and avoiding sexual activity during recurrences.
What does "no cure" mean for HIV?
There is currently no effective cure.
Once you have HIV, you have it for life, and proper medical care can control the virus.
People with HIV who get on effective HIV treatment and stay on it can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners. Most people can get HIV under control within six months. Taken as prescribed, HIV medicine can make your viral load so low that a test can’t detect it.
A person who takes HIV medicine as prescribed and gets and stays virally suppressed or undetectable can stay healthy and will not transmit HIV to their sex partners. This is also known as Undetectable = Untransmittable.
Viral suppression means less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood.
More than 1.2 million Americans are estimated to be living with HIV, including people who have not been diagnosed. There were nearly 39,000 diagnoses in 2024 alone. At year end 2024, 1,158,701 persons aged 13 and older were living with diagnosed HIV in the United States and 7 territories and freely associated states. That diagnosed count is provisional, with a 12-month reporting delay.
What does "no cure" mean for HPV?
There is no treatment for the HPV virus itself. In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems.
When HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer. Treatments are for those conditions, not for the virus. People who get HPV usually clear the infection on their own, meaning it becomes undetectable and causes no health problems. For HIV, undetectable means the viral load is so low a test can’t detect it, and the person still has HIV.
Subclinical genital HPV typically clears on its own, so the CDC does not recommend an antiviral to eradicate it. More than 42 million Americans are infected with types of HPV known to cause disease, and about 13 million Americans, including teens, become infected each year. Nearly everyone who is not vaccinated will get HPV at some point, and the CDC’s summary is that HPV infections are very common. The HPV vaccine is safe and effective.
What does "no cure" mean for hepatitis B?
Acute hepatitis B can lead to a lifelong infection known as chronic hepatitis B. There are some medications for chronic hepatitis B; they aren’t a cure and are only helpful for some people with chronic hepatitis B.
About 640,000 adults in the US have chronic hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable liver infection, and the best way to prevent it is to get vaccinated. Several medicines are already approved for chronic infection, and new drugs are in development.
People who start hepatitis B treatment may need to take medication for the rest of their lives, because these medicines do not lead to a cure. The WHO says antivirals can help fight the virus and help slow damage to the liver.
Why is there no cure for herpes?
One type of herpes virus stays in the body by hiding within nerve cells.
The antiviral drugs do not eradicate latent virus, and after you stop them, they do not affect the risk, frequency, or severity of recurrences.
That virus can remain dormant for a long time, and it can reactivate at any time. Once you are infected, the virus stays in your body for the rest of your life. Genital herpes can still be treated.
Which STDs can be cured?
Syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis are the four the WHO calls currently curable. Three bacterial (chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis) and one parasitic STIs (trichomoniasis) are generally curable with existing single-dose regimens of antibiotics.
The CDC says the right treatment can cure chlamydia and can cure gonorrhea, and a healthcare provider can prescribe antibiotics for both. Syphilis is curable with the right antibiotics. Trichomoniasis is the most common curable STI, and a healthcare provider can treat it with pills taken by mouth. NICHD’s curable group is wider: STIs caused by bacteria, yeast, or parasites can be cured with appropriate medication.
The CDC says you can get chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, or trichomoniasis again after treatment. Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. About 1 in 5 people get trichomoniasis again within 3 months after treatment. If you had gonorrhea, you should be retested about three months after treatment of the first infection, even if your partners were treated successfully.
Syphilis treatment might not undo any damage the infection can cause. Some gonorrhea is becoming harder to treat, as drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing. The WHO calls drug resistance a major threat to reducing the burden of gonorrhoea worldwide.
Can you date with an STD that has no cure?
Yes, you can date with genital herpes, HIV, or HPV. Genital herpes is common in the United States and manageable with medicine, and people with HIV who get on effective HIV treatment and stay on it can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners. In most cases HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems.
For hepatitis B, the partner guide covers dating someone who has it.
Most people with genital herpes have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, which is why most do not know they have a herpes infection. The American Sexual Health Association calls herpes a common and usually mild infection, and about 12% of people ages 14 to 49 in the United States, one in eight, have genital HSV-2. The how-common guide has the numbers, and the dating-with-herpes guide is the longer account of dating with it.
Read the dating-with-HIV guide for HIV and the dating-with-HPV guide for HPV. PositiveSingles asks you to name an STD status when you sign up. Specify your STD status, such as herpes(HSV1, HSV2), HIV, HPV, hepatitis, or others.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan.
