NASA finds space herpes (yes, space herpes) rampant among space station crew

The headline says it all - “NASA is fighting a war in orbit — against space herpes.”

In a newly published report in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, NASA reveals that the herpes viruses reactivate in more than half of crew aboard Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions. 

Roughly 53 percent of astronauts on short-term space shuttle flights show signs of herpes, according to the study's lead researcher, Satish Mehta. (NYPost)

While only a small proportion develop symptoms, virus reactivation rates increase with spaceflight duration and could present a significant health risk on missions to Mars and beyond.

You can read the full report here.