Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Shutterstock/Syda Productions
swipe right

There's now a 'Tinder' specifically for people carrying an STI

MPWH (Meeting People With Herpes) aims to unite people suffering from the stigma of the virus, for which there is no cure.

PROOF THAT THERE really is an app for everything, a Hong Kong firm has developed a dating application which enables sufferers of Herpes to meet each other.

MPWH (Meeting People With Herpes) is exclusively for sufferers of that particular disease, something the publicity for the app is at pains to point out.

Herpes Simplex is a virus that can affect both the skin of the face (cold sores basically) as well as sexual organs.

For many people there are no physical manifestations of the affliction, but for those who do suffer from such there is no known cure for the virus.

The app adopts a Tinder-esque approach, with people swiping left and right over users located nearby depending on whether they ‘like’ them or not.

Apart from that, the chief difference is that you need to tell the app what variety of Herpes you are suffering from before you can browse users. Rather worryingly one of the options available is ‘I don’t know what kind of Herpes I’m suffering from’.

herpes MPWH MPWH

A quick look at the app would suggest that almost every user is based in the US (where 45 million people suffer from the disease according to MPWH) so it may be a distance away from establishing itself on this side of the Atlantic.

“The app aims to help people living with Herpes find love, companionship, friendship and support,” say the producers MPWH, which seems noble enough.

It’s available on both iOS and Android.

Read: Hundreds of people could have an excruciating skin disease but be too embarrassed to get diagnosed

Read: Too embarrassed to see a doc? Now you can test for almost any STI from your bedroom

Your Voice
Readers Comments
49
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.