Feb 24th 2009 By Tom Radler

Herpes Rise Linked to Beer Pong

The venerable game of beer pong is a staple at most college campuses -- a quick ticket to the kind of glory that can only come from drunkenly tossing a ping-pong ball into a red plastic cup.

But beer pong could be nearly as dangerous as unprotected sex in terms of spreading diseases, according to a recent article in the University of Massachusetts' student newspaper -- which links the rise of herpes on campus to the popularity of beer pong. Because the game involves multiple people drinking from the same cups, the herpes virus -- which can be transmitted via saliva -- can be spread to everyone who is playing through the course of a game. The virus is up 230 percent since 2007 in people between ages 17 and 21.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends filling the cups with water for the game -- and drinking from non-shared cups -- as a way of decreasing the danger, but a UMass sophomore makes the point that such play "takes away from the spirit of the game."

We're all for purity in sports, but if we're going to drink so much we end up with a sexually transmitted disease, we'd at least like it to be the result of something more fun than swallowing our frat buddy's backwash.

Of course, getting herpes isn't the only consequence of excessive drunkenness. You could also find yourself highlighted in our shamings gallery after the jump.

Shamings

The one positive is that the Scotch tape probably won't hold throughout the night.

boozetime.com

When it comes to partying, some guys just can't hang.

collegehumor.com

The best shamings are the ones where girls help out with tampons, women's underwear and KY.

listoftheday.blogspot.com

When action on the field wanes, passed-out old guys tend to pay the price.

collegehumor.com

All dressed up and nowhere to puke.

waytoomany.com

Karen woke up at the crack of Dawn.

collegehumor.com

The dreads and hemp necklace isn't a good look for you.

collegehumor.com

Jenga! Jenga! Jenga!

flickr.com

If Jonah Hill wants to continue making movies, he's going to have to kick his addiction to 'Quik.

collegehumor.com

Clearly, this guy's not a smoker.

collegehumor.com

Tags: beer pong - BeerPong - frat parties - FratParties - herpes - sexually transmitted diseases - SexuallyTransmittedDiseases - std - stds

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Thursday 26 February

By Rashalaka

Neutral

Hmm lets see here, Looks like a Bunch of Stupid F**** Teenagers to young Adults living out what has been done for years if not decades..Yea these young adults are going to collage to Not be serious and constantly figure out how there going to get Laid and F***ed up every night! Glad Im not a teen, must be frightening to not know whats correct and incorrect behavior..This is How Future Whores and Drug addicts are made, in fact upwards of 60 %!? Such a shame that collages tolerate this F***ed S***..But usually its the parents that are paying for the so called good experiences... As I always say, " Stupid F***ing Kids"... HAHAHAHAHAHA Live and Learn Jackoffs.... ;)

Friday 27 February

By brent mcguire

Neutral

Yo, if the author of this story knew what they were talking about maybe people wouldn't be so confused, and SCARED.

Yes, the Herpes virus can be spread through the saliva- through kissing, sharing drinks and silverware, etc. But not GENITAL herpes. You are not going to play a game of beer pong and wake up with a sore on your genitals. Come on bro. It's the Herpes Simplex 1 virus that is spread through sharing drinks, kissing, etc. Which are just cold sores on your mouth, NOT genital herpes. This doesn't mean you don't still want to be careful about sharing drinks. Cold sores are a pain in the ass. If you get them, it does NOT mean you have GENITAL herpes. If you do have herpes simplex 1 (cold sores) and have an active one, and you perform oral sex on someone, then yes you can leave the herpes virus on their genital area from your mouth which can lead to gential herpes on the receiver of the oral sex. BUT PLAYING BEER PONG, SHARING DRINKS WILL NOT GIVE YOU GENITAL HERPES. Sharing drinks and kissing others only carries the risk of contracting cold sores on the MOUTH, which is NOT directly linked to GENTIAL herpes.

Next time specify the exact type of virus you are telling people to watch out for.

Look it up people. There are 2 types of the Herpes virus. Herpes simplex 1 and Herpes simplex 2:
Simplex 1 is cold sores, which 80% of Americans HAVE but don't even know it because the cold sores remain inactive or dormant in their bodies. It all depends on an individual's immune system. Triggers for the cold sores to come out of dormancy and attack the mouth include stress, cold weather, sun exposure, menstral cycles and a cold or flu.
Simplex 2 is GENITAL herpes. Sores develop on the genital area. Someone having herpes simplex 1 on the mouth usually don't have genital herpes and vice versa. If you have herpes simplex 1, you can spread it to someone's genital area through oral sex if you have an active sore.

If you have herpes simplex 2 (genital) you can only spread it to someone by genital contact, not by sharing cups. The only virus you can get from sharing cups are cold sores (herpes simplex 1) obvioulsy because it is your mouth that is in contact with the cups, not your gentials dude.

So should you be careful about sharing? Yes. You can also get a cold or flu from sharing with people, duh. But don't panic, the author of this report was VERY vague about the actual facts of BOTH herpes viruses, and you CANNOT get GENITAL herpes from sharing cups.

I'm a doctor, but I went to college some guys who had cold sores. Some guys got one and never had one again in 4 years, some had them only when they got sick. A guy I knew got it from his mom, she had it as a child and she must have passed it to him. He didn't have a cold sore his whole life until his first day of college. He was so un-educated about the virus that he thought it meant he had genital herpes too. I went with him to the clinic, got information and looked up stuff online about it. So we learned the difference.

Educate yourself. It's a virus, like the stomach virus. Comes and goes and doesn't mean anything else except what they are- cold sores on the mouth. People attach such a stigma to this virus, it is so childish. My buddies were healthy guys, no STD's. I see patients all the time come in with cold sores freaking out that they have gential herpes. I precribe them an anti-viral medication and explain to them what I outlined above. Get over it people.

Friday 27 February

By Kareem aka Daigoji

Neutral

ONOES! ONOES! I mean, it was obvious, but to hear this great sport is being besieged by unsanitary play methods is heartbreaking.

This is a stigmata this great sport did not need!

Friday 27 February

By Pat

Neutral

This story is FAKE! Lazy "journalists" didn't catch a faked story http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/136037

The HERPES they are talking about is COLD SORES the CDC does not study endemic infections with little risk of complications.

You can theoretically get Mono or Cold Sores from sharing cups. From what I understand (As a nursing major) Hep B is a stretch.