The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland is seeking volunteers for two herpes studies. If you are interested in participating, call the NIH herpes study line at (301) 496-1836 and leave your name and number. Mention that you heard about the study through the HELP of Washington website. NIH will return your call, and be discreet if someone else answers.

-- A study to test whether Valtrex can prevent transmission of herpes in couples where one partner has recurrent genital herpes and the other does not. Safer sex practices are encouraged, and participants in the study must be willing to refrain from taking any antiviral medication, except the study medication, during the 8-month study. The risk of transmission to a lover is one of the biggest concerns that we have. Come to the meeting and find out how scientists believe that this risk might be reduced or even eliminated.

-- A study of the cell receptor which aids the herpes virus entry into the white blood cell to determine whether there are differences in the structure of this receptor in different people. Participants -- healthy adults who are not known to have genital herpes and are in a relationship with someone who does -- will have a small quantity of blood drawn during one visit to NIH. A Western blot test will be run on some of this blood, which will show whether this "uninfected partner" is in fact infected.

NOTE: Infectious Disease Physicians, Inc. is also a clinical site for the Valtrex transmission study (described above). To learn about participation through IDP, contact them at: Infectious Disease Physicians, Inc., 3289 Woodburn Road, Suite 200, Annandale, VA 22003. Phone (703) 560-7900; fax (703) 560-8408.