So basically your argument is that doctors, the CDC, etc. have no idea what they're talking about?
The notion that HSV-1 is oral and HSV-2 is genital is outdated and isn't used technically anymore. While the strains do prefer those regions, roughly half of genital herpes infections are cause by HSV-1 now since the virus can be passed in either direction during oral sex. Most people with HSV-2 are unaware since they don't experience the worst symptoms/outbreaks that you described. That's why it's so prevalent.
And no, it's not a standard part of any common STD panel for all the reasons numerous people in this thread have stated. The CDC actively recommends against testing for it unless symptoms are present as they explain in this article:
When it come to herpes, the only people who want your money are the antiviral ******* companies who profit from the stigma around the infection. Prior to the marketing campaigns around herpes antivirals, it was considered a benign condition that people weren't too concerned about (similar to the way we think about visible (oral) herpes outbreaks on *******, adult, etc.) There are a number of articles which go into more detail about the manufactured hysteria around herpes in the 70s/80s like this one:
Did Big Pharma Create the Herpes Stigma for Profit?
Even though 90 percent of people have some form of herpes, the virus is heavily stigmatized. But the transition from "itchy annoyance" to shameful secret may not have been coincidental.www.vice.com
Apologies if the above seems like I'm coming down too hard on you. In all honesty, I used to be pretty freaked out about HSV-2 as well. If someone told me they had it (even if they hadn't had an outbreak in years), I'd politely decline playing with them, basically punishing the few people who were both aware of their status and disclosed.
I'm still somewhat paranoid about it, but after a lot of reading and years of paying for expensive tests and then becoming even more paranoid when they came back negative, I eventually just gave up and accepted what my doctor, the CDC, other healthcare professionals had been arguing for years. That it's not the most important STI to be concerned about (especially now that my wife and I are done having *******, an outbreak during childbirth was her only concern and even that's manageable). It's so common that it's impossible to avoid if you're having casual sex. Common sense still applies (condoms, avoiding active outbreaks, partners taking anti-virals if they do experience regular outbreaks, etc.)
If you do want to avoid playing with anyone who is carrying herpes, that's entirely up to you. It just sounds like you're a bit out of touch on exactly how difficult that would actually be.
His argument is that he's a fool and thinks everyone is just greedy and that capitalism doesn't drive positive behavior by corporations. And somehow doctors also don't have his best interests at heart. Based in absolutely nothing because I can guarantee you he hasn't spent a day in his life working for an actual pharmaceutical company in a legitimate job and he's also not a physician and doesn't know enough clearly because people go into medicine to do good. I know thousands of physicians and they genuinely care about patients. Insurance is a whole issue they have to deal with but has nothing to do with their motives or having your best interest when possible.
And the argument about wanting to treat not cure disease is only ever made by morons who don't understand anything about *******. Because it's been disproven many times. Anyone who says that doesn't know anything about ******* at all and you can ignore them.
