“If you have ever had Chickenpox, a Cold Sore or a Fever Blister then you are Infected with the Living Herpes Virus Right Now!”

What is Herpes?

Herpes is a very common viral infection and one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. If you have ever had a cold sore then you already have herpes and you will probably have it for the rest of your life because there is no known cure at the present time.

If you have herpes you should be aware that you are not alone, one in six adults have genital herpes. It is estimated that over 80 million Americans have herpes of one form or another. This means that 8 in 10 Americans are or will become infected. It should be noted that most of these cases will be in the form of cold sores or fever blisters.

There are over 80 variations of the herpes virus that have been identified, only eight of them are responsible for the disease in humans. The most common of these is the HSV-1 and HSV-2 mentioned above. A couple of other common herpes viruses that affect humans includes chickenpox (varicella zoster) and shingles (herpes zoster).

What Causes Herpes? How long can genital herpes be dormant?

Herpes is caused by a virus that may have been dormant in your body for many years. Believe it or not, if you have had chickenpox when you were a child then you probably already have the dormant form of the virus.

There are two main types of the virus. The first is Simplex Type 1 or (HSV-1) which causes Cold Sores. This virus, in its dormant state hides in nerves near the ear and usually cause cold sores on the lower lip. In rare cases they can cause damage to the eyes including causing blindness.

The second is Simplex Type 2 or (HSV-2) which is responsible for Genital Herpes. This virus in its dormant state hides in the nerves at the base of the spine and outbreaks are usually contained to the genital area.

Both types look nearly identical when viewed with a powerful microscope and both types can infect both the mouth and the genital area, HSV-1 is most often responsible with cold sores and HSV-2 is most often responsible for genital herpes. Both types are highly contagious.

Herpes differs from most sexually transmitted diseases in that it is able to hide dormant in your nerve cells usually at the base of the spine or near the ears, possibly for many years before becoming active. Once it becomes active the person who is infected will continue to experience outbreaks.

How is Herpes Transmitted?

Herpes is transmitted by physical contact. If a person has a cold sore then the simple act kissing someone can transfer the virus to them.

Sexual contact including oral and anal sex with a partner who is infected can also transmit the virus. A person infected with a cold sore can transmit the HSV-1 virus to a sex partner’s genital area during oral sex or become infected in the oral area by their partner’s HSV-2 virus if their partner is already infected with HSV-2.

While this cross infection can happen it is not as common as infections to the viruses’ preferred sites.

There is some evidence that if you have cold sores or HSV1- you have a reduced risk of contracting genital HSV-2 type of herpes.

How Can Herpes be Prevented?

Avoid skin to skin contact. If you want to protect others you should be aware that Herpes is very contagious if your herpes sores come in contact with another person’s skin.

In order to keep from spreading the virus you should refrain from kissing and performing oral sex if you have cold sores and refrain from all forms of contact if you have an active genital herpes outbreak.

Can you get herpes with a condom?

You should use condoms during sex between outbreaks because there is always a chance that herpes can be transmitted at any time by someone who is infected. While condoms help they are no guarantee. You should see the Condom Page for more information.

You and your partner should be tested for other types of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Some studies suggest that you may be more susceptible to other STDs, including HIV, if you currently have herpes.

Can Herpes be Cured?

No, there is no current known cure for the herpes virus because the virus has evolved a highly effective survival tactic. The herpes virus hides dormant and undetectable within normal nerve cells and may stay dormant for many years. The dormant cells can become active because of stress, fever sunlight and possibly other unknown reasons. In fact there is no known cure for any virus including the common cold.

When herpes becomes active it travels down the nerves to the skin’s surface where it replicates and causes the lesions that accompany an outbreak. A small percentage of the virus travels back to nerve cells to hide inside in a dormant state. In a normal outbreak the active virus is destroyed by your body’s natural defenses.

Because the some of the virus is always dormant and contained within normal nerve cells is effectively  invisible to the body’s defenses. While all of the active virus may be destroyed by the body’s normal defenses, the dormant virus within the nerve cells invisibly waits like a ticking time bomb for the next trigger when it will be activated and the process will start over again.

Two thirds of the people with genital herpes never know that they have it.

The recurrence of outbreaks tends to be more often right after you first become infected. Over time the outbreaks happen less often. This is probably due to the body’s defenses getting stronger with each outbreak.

Effective Treatments for Herpes

Yes there are various treatments that help to fight the active virus and prevent it from replicating. The treatments range from prescription medications to natural remedies and even electronic devices that aid in shortening the duration of outbreaks and help to prevent new outbreaks from occurring.

There are those who claim that certain treatments are a complete cure for herpes but there is currently no scientific studies that support those claims. This does not mean that no cure exists just that there is no scientific studies that document a cure.

Most scientific studies are related to
prescription drugs and are supported by drug companies that have the resources to conduct these types of studies. As a result there are several prescription treatments that are available.

Drug companies are not inclined to spend money validating natural treatments or cures that are not patentable but there are natural treatments that are available and many people with herpes use them with good results.

So where does this leave you? You should gather as much information as possible and be responsible for your own health. While prescription drugs can sometimes perform wonders those wonders sometimes come at a cost. You should carefully consider the side effects of any drug you take. You should also consider any side effects you may encounter when taking natural treatments.

It is your health so you should take charge. Information is the best tool you have to combat disease and maintain optimal health. You will find useful information on this website and we encourage you to visit others and be as well informed as possible.

You should note that nothing on this site should be taken as medical advise, the pages of this site are provided for your information and you should consult an licensed physician on any health matters that you may be unsure of.

Who is at Risk of Contracting Herpes?

Basically everyone is at risk who interacts with others. If you kiss some one who has HSV-1 the virus that causes cold sores you can contract the herpes virus.

Those most at risk for genital herpes are those who have multiple sexual partners and among this group those who do not use condoms are at the highest risk of all. So while you will still be at risk if you use a condom your risk is lessened.

Infants born to a mother who has herpes is has a risk of contracting herpes in the birth canal. A ‘C’ section delivery can greatly lower a newborn’s risk of contracting herpes.

Can Herpes Cause Cancer?

There is some evidence that women with herpes could be at a slightly higher risk for cervical cancer. Women should get regular cervical smear test (Pap Smear) every 1-2 years.

Can Herpes be Fatal?

Herpes can be fatal to newborn infants although it is estimated that only 1 to 4 infants in 1000 will become infected. The odds that an infant will contract herpes from its mother is greatly lessened if a ‘C’ Section is performed on the mother.

If an infant is diagnosed with herpes the standard treatment is intravenous acyclovir treatment continued for up to 21 days.

Statistics?

  • As much as 25% of the adult population has genital herpes
  • 80% to 90% of the population has HSV-1 (cold sores / fever blisters)
  • 75% of those infected with genital herpes do not know it
  • Male to male transfer of HSV-2 is the most efficient transmission route
  • Male to female transmission is more efficient than female to male
  • 1 in 5 adult males has HSV-2
  • 1 in 4 adult females has HSV-2
  • There are approximately 1 million new cases of HSV-2 in the US annually

Is Chickenpox (Varicella) a form of Herpes?

Chicken pox usually attacks adolescent children. The Herpes Zoster virus that attacks individuals later in life is a dormant form of the same agent that causes chickenpox which  has remained dormant in an individual’s body for many years.

Chickenpox is extremely contagious and unlike herpes can be transmitted by airborne particles. It can also unlike herpes be prevented by immunization.