About us
What we do
Who writes this website
Contact us
How you can help us
Annual Report and Accounts 2006
Annual Report and Accounts 2007
Annual Report and Accounts 2008
Annual Report and Accounts 2009
Annual Report and Accounts 2010
Who's who
How the Herpes Viruses Association got started
What we do
The Herpes Viruses Association helps to improve life for people with herpes
simplex by:
- helping them to understand the condition and put it into its proper perspective as a common skin complaint;
- publishing a quarterly journal SPHERE which covers everything from research news to articles on stress management and our social events. See list of back articles here;
- running trials to ascertain the effectiveness of complementary treatments;
- publishing the results from our questionnaires about the experience of living with herpes simplex;
- supporting and encouraging local groups and meetings;
- training and supporting the volunteer helpliners.
On a wider front the Herpes Viruses Association is also concerned with:
- providing information and advice to those who have symptoms of herpes simplex, the public and the medical profession;
- fostering a calmer, less hysterical approach to what is usually a minor skin condition;
- correcting misleading coverage of herpes simplex in the media;
- promoting a more accurate public awareness of the condition; and
- working with other organisations to reduce the stigma surrounding all STIs and promote a more mature approach to sexual health.
Volunteer members:
- answer the helpline / advice line;
- organise local groups and social events - relaxed, informal get-togethers which have been attended by thousands of people over the years. Members who attend find them supportive, informative and enjoyable.
- staff our Executive Management Committee.
Who writes this website
It is written by staff at the Herpes Viruses Association (HVA), reg. charity 291657 -
see Who's Who below. They monitor worldwide research into treatments and vaccines, infection
rates, and studies on the usefulness of complementary therapies.
The doctors of the "Special Interest Panel for Herpes Simplex Virus" of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV support our work and are consulted on medical/clinical matters where necessary. The HVA
is impartial and totally independent of all manufacturers of both drug treatments and complementary therapies.
The "What's new" and "Media releases" are updated whenever necessary.
This site was last reviewed on: click here.
Contact us
Info@herpes.org.uk can only give
you short answers to any questions you have. Membership offers a wide
range of information and is really good value. Your subscription and/or
donation
also helps us to continue the service – see subscription
form – or phone our helpline on 0845 123 2305 and be ready to take
down the times given. You can write to us at HVA, 41 North Road, London N7 9DP.
Feedback: Tell us what you think of our site, services, etc.
You can send any compliments, complaints or suggestions to us in the same way: by email or by post to HVA, 41 North Road, London N7 9DP. We have formal procedures for complaints in place and can send you these if required.
How you can help us
There are many ways to be involved.
subscribe to SPHERE - see a sample article here. You can see the list of titles of really useful articles in back copies that members can buy here. - go to local events/socials
- help as a:
- volunteer in the office: have you experience in writing, journalism, law or can you file or put things in envelopes for us?
- local contact
- helpline volunteer (training given)
- committee member
- proof-reader
- translator of our leaflets into community languages
- volunteer to be a ‘case study’ for newspaper/magazine articles or radio/television programmes. Getting more people to talk about herpes simplex in public is an important part of our campaign to ‘normalise’ the virus and counter the stigma.
You will help us enormously by becoming a member, or sending us a donation if we have helped you - we never have enough money to set up all the services we are called upon to provide.
Do join us. You can download the subscription form. Alternatively, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope and we will send you details of our services, index of leaflets, list of treatment suggestions, etc.
Who's who?
Our office is staffed by two people
Marian Nicholson – who is often seen in magazines, on TV and
heard in radio interviews – caught herpes simplex in 1981. Marian writes much of our journal and revises our leaflets. She is kept up to date through her membership of the Herpes Simplex Virus Advisory Panel. This is a sub-group of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV which is responsible for herpes simplex guidelines for doctors.
Her story can be seen on the NHS Choices
video.
Marian gives talks to the staff at GUM clinics around the cournty (five in 2011) and if your clinic could benefit from their staff having a better understanding of how to counsel patients with genital herpes, please send us an email.
She has been on many TV and radio shows, talking about her personal experience. Most recently, this was on Sky Real Lives in the first programme in the 'Secret Guide to Women's Health' - interviewed by Colleen Nolan.
We need your help to continue to offer this helpful website. Please help us with a donation. (We rely totally on donations/subscriptions.)
Nigel Scott is our Information Officer and is also Vice Chair of the Skin Care Campaign. As well as counselling members and callers he liaises with other organisations trying to improve sexual health services for patients.
We have nine patrons.
Six of them are doctors who specialise in sexual health medicine:
Professor Michael W Adler CBE MD FRCP FFCM,
Dr David Barlow MA BM FRCP,
Dr Elizabeth Claydon MRCP MB ChB,
Dr Brian A Evans FRCP,
Dr Colm O’Mahony MD FRCP BSc DIPVen.
Dr Raj Patel FRCP
Three of our patrons are ‘media doctors’ who help us get our message out to the public:
Dr David Bull MBBS BSc,
Dr Phil Hammond MB BChir MRCGP,
Dr Miriam Stoppard MD FRCP.
There are currently twelve members of the Executive Management Committee. They are all members of our Association and none has a professional or commercial interest in herpes simplex (i.e. no doctors or pharmaceutical company representatives).
How the HVA got started
In 1981, people with herpes simplex got together to share information
and to help each other as a response to the many scary stories about herpes
simplex in the press. The Herpes Viruses Association was registered as charity 291657 in 1985. An office was set up in the Omnibus Centre and we now employ two staff. Since then we have dealt with over 100,000 enquiries from patients and health professionals.
The Department of Health (DH) is no longer giving out core-funding grants. In previous years, this offered us some secure income. The DH is funding only 'new projects' so in order to continue to offer our website (330,000 visitors last year), the long-standing helpline and information leaflets we rely on your donations and subscriptions.
If this website has helped you, please subscribe or send us a donation by post or on line – just as you would to any cause that you thought was doing a good job. Thank you.
HVA disclaimer and information policy
The Herpes Viruses Association website gives information about herpes viruses; in particular herpes simplex (genital herpes) and shingles/post herpetic neuralgia. It does not replace a consultation with a doctor. This information is based on the evidence and medical opinion available at the time this information was produced. We are confident that the views expressed and facts provided will assist patients, medical professionals and journalists in increasing understanding and improving the treatment of these conditions. Other authorities may differ in their detailed advice on certain points.
Every effort has been made to ensure the information we provide is accurate. However, the Herpes Viruses Association cannot be held responsible for the site's accuracy or for any actions taken on the basis of the information provided on the site or for any loss suffered due to reliance on that information. We cannot guarantee uninterrupted access to this website or the sites to which it links. We accept no responsibility for any damages arising from the loss of use of this information.
