I'm no epidemiologist, but I think "as much an STD as herpes" would mean that it's popularly stereotyped as an STD despite most infections not having anything t

I'm no epidemiologist, but I think "as much an STD as herpes" would mean that it's popularly stereotyped as an STD despite most infections not having anything to do with sexual activity (HSV-1, which is mainly transmitted via oral contact, is much more prevalent than HSV-2, which is mainly transmitted via genital contact [1]). [1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simplex-virus https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simp...