A bizarre social media craze has hit the internet with vandals daubing paint on walls across the country claiming 'Nat has herpes'.

Hundreds of buildings have been defaced with the bizarre slur having started in Hackney during 2014.

There is no indication that whether the subject of the latest viral virus is male or female, or whether they actually exist in the first place.

Nat Has Herpes has been daubed across walls in the Hackney area for the past two years

Social media users have been posting images of the bizarre message on Instagram

The messages do not inform the passer-by which strain of the Herpes Simplex virus Nat has

People on social media have asked what is behind the latest craze to go viral on the internet

One Twitter user Tetchy Seagull asks a number of insightful questions in relation to the craze.

The avian monikered social media user asked: 'Can anyone explain? Who is Nat? Where did he catch herpes? What is going on in Hackney?'

However, despite the revelry on social media caused by the bizarre pronouncement, the herpes simplex virus can be a severely debilitating communicable disease which can be easily transmitted by intimate contact.

Worryingly, many of the messages warn about the highly contagious virus are located in toilets

Public health experts warn that the herpes simplex virus is highly contagious

The Herpes Simplex virus is often known as the common cold sore

Last month a male model who went on to develop a brain infection linked to herpes won £5 million in compensation from an NHS Trust.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was treated negligently in 2008 by the Royal Hampshire Hospital where he developed herpes simplex encephalitis.

Are you Nat, or do you know the reason behind this current craze? Please contact darren.boyle@mailonline.co.uk

WHAT IS THE HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS? The herpes simplex virus can affect various parts of the body in the form of blisters The common cold sore is caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus and can normally clear up without treatment within seven to ten days. Someone may become infected by the virus and not show symptoms. Cold sores often start with a tingling, itching or burning sensation around your mouth. Small fluid-filled sores then appear, usually on the edges of your lower lip. The strain of herpes simplex virus usually responsible for cold sores is known as HSV-1. In rare cases, cold sores can also be caused by the herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). This can be the result of having oral sex with someone who has genital herpes. The virus is highly contagious and is easily passed from person to person by direct close direct contact. Advertisement

However, in some cases the herpes simplex virus can lead to the inflammation of the brain

Much of the graffiti has concentrated in areas around Hackney Wick and Shoreditch