AUCKLAND, Today: The New Zealand Herpes Foundation (NZHF) has partnered with Motion Sickness, FINCH, ED.l, DigPR, and TRA to launch a bold behaviour-change campaign aiming to reach a significant milestone for Aotearoa.
Unveiled on Global Herpes Awareness Day, the campaign confronts the virus’s worst issue: social stigma. Pop culture, misinformation, and the reluctance to talk openly about sex have worsened this stigma for many.
Although up to 80% of Kiwis will contract oral or genital herpes in their lifetime, new research from TRA shows New Zealand has one of the highest herpes stigma rates globally. Thousands experience shame from this mostly harmless virus.
According to the NZHF, 30% of New Zealanders diagnosed with herpes have experienced depressive or suicidal thoughts, largely due to stigma rather than the medical symptoms themselves.
To fight this, the campaign features well-known Kiwis like Sir Ashley Bloomfield, Sir Graham Henry, Sir Buck Shelford, Angella Dravid, and …