How common are cold sores?
Cold sores are very common. It is estimated that 80% percent of the American population have been exposed to the Herpes simplex virus (which is the virus that causes cold sores).
An interesting fact is that although a person has been infected with the herpes and cold sore virus, they may not necessarily experience an outbreak. This is because some people’s immune systems have the ability to completely suppress the virus.
Herpes labialis is endemic throughout the world. A large survey of young adults on six continents reported that 33.2% of males and 28% of females had herpes labialis on two or more occasions during the year before study. The lifetime prevalence in the United States of America is estimated at 20-45% of the adult population. Lifetime prevalence in France was reported by one study as 32.4% in males and 42.1% in females. In Germany, the prevalence was reported at 31.7% in people aged between 35 and 44 years, and 20% in those aged 65–74. In Jordan, another study reported a lifetime prevalence of 26.4%.