They might mean HPV. HSV consists of HSV-1 (oral herpes) and HSV-2 (“pubic area” herpes).

There isn’t really a consensus across studies for what percentage of the population has HSV-1, but all studies agree that it’s “very common”. The reason you don’t see more people with herpes sores around their mouths is because most people with HSV-1 never have an outbreak, and those that do only usually have an outbreak when they are under a lot of stress or ill (because the immune system is occupied with things other than the HS virus).

A few companies are working on vaccines and cures for HSV-2 and even HSV-1 that are based on the COVID 19 RNA vaccines and we might be able to get them in the next decade.

Yep, definitely meant HPV.

The more active you are the more likely you are to have been exposed to both hsv and HPV. Hsv can be passed through just kissing, so a lot of kids get it long before they are sexually active. I’m of the boomer generation, and somewhere around 50% of us have one or another version of HSV. I have been lucky enough not to get it (so far!), but I don’t believe there is an accepted test for HPV unless you have a cervix.

For HPV, my personal opinion is that it is worth it to get vaccinated no matter what age you are, since only certain strains cause cancer and you might not have gotten those strains yet. The medical profession doesn’t agree with me however.