According to a study co-authored by UNC research professor Dr. Peter Leone and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a vaccine against two types of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) was partially effective in preventing herpes in women.

The study found the vaccine prevented some cases of HSV-1, which can cause genital blisters and lesions. But the vaccine seemed to have no effect in preventing HSV-2, which typically causes oral sores.

There is currently no cure or approved vaccine for herpes, which affects about 25 percent of women in the US.

More than 8,000 women enrolled in the study. UNC was one of 50 enrollment sites.