Updated May 16, 2019.

A surprising number of people you know probably have herpes.

Shocked? You shouldn’t be, since the virus is very common. According to the World Health Organization, 3.7 billion people under age 50 have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) — that’s 67 percent of the global population in that age bracket. Another 417 million people (11 percent) between ages 15 and 49 worldwide have herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).

Many people consider HSV-1 more benign, but it turns out there’s not much difference between the two types of virus. While it’s true that HSV-2 is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and can cause genital sores or blisters, type 1 can do the same thing.

“One big misconception is that cold sores are caused by HSV-1 and genital herpes are always type 2, but that’s not always the case,” says Sarah Vensel, a physician assistant in San Francisco. “Cold sores are so common they’ve been normalized at this point. But genital herpes is sometimes the exact same virus — just in a different location.”

Not only is herpes incredibly common — it’s also totally manageable. Allow us to set your mind at ease and debunk three widespread herpes myths: