Herpes

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up Nourse enlivens an otherwise straightforward account of the five forms of the herpes virus by comparing pathogenic microbes to the James Gang of the old Westboth active, troublesome and of little use to anyone. His style, clarity and succinct definitions make the book suitable for reports, but the lackluster cover, small print and a few grainy microphotographs eliminate any interest it may have for non-assignment reading. Genital herpes is the most rapidly spreading sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. There is no cure yet discovered, but Nourse discusses the antibiotic ointment acyclovir that offers some relief from the two Herpes Simplex strains. The address of the Herpes Resource Center in Palo Alto and the 800 number of the American Social Health Association are included. Aside from these timely tips, most of this data can be found in an encyclopedia. No attempt is made to relate exposure to the virus to a teenager's life style. The last half of this brief book nearly repeats the first, adding a look at other STDs, but with only two pages on AIDS, outdated already. No new information has been added beyond that in Living with Herpes (Doubleday, 1983) by Deborah P. Langston, Herpes (Running Pr, 1982) by Frank Freudberg and E. Stephen Emmanuel or The Truth About STD (Morrow, 1983) by Allan Chase. Anne Osborn, Riverside Public Library, Calif.