I have herpes so now I use the Tinder for people with STIs
Meeting People With Herpes is a dating app for people with sexually transmitted infections
Jack CummingsA bold new Tinder-style app has been created specifically for people with herpes.
Meeting People With Herpes (MPWH) uses the same left and right swipe format as Tinder to help people with STIs find others in the same situation.
But the main difference is that users need to put in what type of herpes they suffer from before they can sign up.
One user, David, 28, from Kent told The Tab: “You can never know which sexual encounter gave you herpes.
“You first find out you have herpes because you get outbreaks – essentially coldsores on the dick.”
Meeting People With Herpes user David asked for his face to be blurred
David first discovered the site and app after searching for herpes dating services online.
He said: “I was looking for a way to find partners with a shared interest and background.
“Dating with herpes is not difficult if you choose the right people to go on dates with.
“But a lot of people don’t realise just how prevalent it is.”
“On MPWH people don’t say ‘you have herpes so I’m not coming near you.'”
As many as one in six people are believed to have herpes, but worryingly a fifth of people have no symptoms and don’t even realise they have it.
David said: “Everyone in the porn industry has herpes but it’s not reported because its just so common.
“You could even have it too.”
Meeting People With Herpes has a similar set up to Tinder
Rather than the typical “hey, how are you?” responses on Tinder, MPWH conversations tend to be a lot heavier.
David said: “We both talk about how we got it, how we cope with it – it’s easy to cope with and it’s worse to have than something like diabetes.
“It’s also one less barrier of explaining the effects of herpes. A normal person would be afraid, but someone with herpes wouldn’t be.
“The majority of people get herpes through unprotected sex – and I found out that way.”
Speaking on his own experiences, David said: “The time from which you have sex to getting your first outbreak is the most painful, it goes downhill from there.
“It could be a month, six months or a year. Generally you have an outbreak when you have a suppressed immune system, like a cold.”
MPWH is a dating website as well as an app for people with herpes
Despite being a fan of the herpes dating app, David insists he is still able to find people the normal way too.
He said: “That doesn’t stop me from dating normally, but I have to be a lot more selective.
“I have to look how liberal they are and whether they’re particularly hygiene sensitive.
“If they’re afraid of common household dirt, it’s an indicator they’re frightened of diseases.
“I’ve had very little success in other apps like Tinder, apart from meeting people without STDs.”
While David has not yet met anyone in person from using the app, he admits “there’s a possibility in the future of going on a blind date in London”.
Despite the recent Ashley Madison leaks, David is not too concerned about his information being shared online.
He said: “It doesn’t matter if someone calls me out for having herpes, it’s not a blackmail-able thing.
“If it were splashed out into the open by an angry colleague, my friends wouldn’t care.
“One of my parents knows because if I ever had to go into hospital then they will need to know – but my other relatives don’t.
“I’ve told a couple of friends but I don’t spread it around widely.”
Dishing out some advise for students with STIs, David said: “For anyone who finds out they have herpes – don’t panic.
“You can’t die from herpes – it’s as serious as coldsores, and there are much more dangerous STDs out there.
“Generally you should wear condoms – even if you’re going to sleep around and fuck in bars.
“If you’re going to have unprotected sex with a partner, you should both get STD checked.”