Genital Herpes

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Statistically there's an excellent chance that you do not have this particular branch of the disease.

However, whether you have another type of herpes or not, is a different story altogether.

Here are the facts:

• The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 90% of the population of the United States has one form of herpes or another, and one fifth of those estimated cases are genital herpes.

  Nationwide, at least 45 million men, women and children age 12 and older or one out of every six Americans are now infected with genital herpes..

• The vast majority of people with genital herpes are totally unaware that they have the disease. Most of the victims are either asymptomatic (they have no symptoms at all), or their symptoms are mild enough to go unnoticed.
• The only way you can be certain that you are disease free, is if you've:


1. Never kissed anyone.
2. Never indulged in heavy petting below the waist.
3. Never had sex!

Can Genital Herpes be Cured?

The answer is no.

Herpes cannot be cured (yet). Once you've contracted the virus, it's with you for life. However, antiviral therapy in conjunction with home treatment and an alkaline diet can ease the symptoms and speed up recovery.

Virus Identification

There are two major types of herpes simplex virus, and one other related virus, which is beyond the scope of this article:

1. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), usually referred to as oral herpes, cold sores or fever blisters.
2. Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), usually referred to as genital herpes and sometimes anal herpes.
3. Herpes zoster virus or Varicella-zoster. This is the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles (to be discussed on another page).

How is Herpes Diagnosed?

With HSV-1, cold sores usually appear on or around the mouth, inside the mouth, or on the nostril or chin. In most cases, a visual inspection is all the doctor needs for an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnosing genital herpes, on the other hand, can tricky because:

1. Signs and symptoms can vary between individuals. Some display painful watery blisters or open sores, others may have a mild rash and a few pimples and some may not display any symptoms at all.
2. HSV-2 is notoriously difficult to diagnose. This is because the symptoms are similar to those of many different ailments, ranging from Anaphylaxis to Vaginitis.

The reason for the delay is to allow time for antibodies to develop in the bloodstream.

There are three CDC Approved tests that will identify antibodies to the glycoprotein G gene of HSV-1 and HSV-2. These proteins are very different in size and composition, and that allows for positive type identification.

• HerpeSelect® HSV-1 and HSV-2 ELISA test
• Biokit HSV-2 test
• Western blot analysis.

However, this test is time-consuming and expensive.

Can a Person get HSV-1 on the Genitals?

Herpes simplex viruses are not site specific. This means that you can contract HSV-1 on the genitals and HSV-2 can appear on the face and mouth.

How is the Virus Transmitted?

If you have symptoms from either oral or genital herpes, once the outbreak passes, the disease goes into remission. In other words, it becomes latent.

However, it's always there, lurking in your nervous system and ready to infect someone else via either skin-to-skin contact, through the exchange of body fluids, or via contact with vesicle fluid from active lesions.

If you have visible signs or sores, the virus is active and contagious. To complicate matters further, even without visible symptoms, you never know when the virus is replicating itself and in its contagious 'shedding' stage.

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this is where interactive websites and
forums, such as our own Pay It Forward
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----Sidebar----

There is some Good News

• Antiviral therapy or alternatively, using the the natural remedy developed by an Australian biochemist known as Dynamiclear, can ease symptoms, shorten the duration of outbreaks and lower the risk of infecting others. In some cases these treatments can prevent outbreaks altogether.
• Since the immune system gradually develops antibodies, the severity, duration and frequency of outbreaks diminish over time, and sometimes disappear altogether over the years.
• Apart from antiviral therapy or the use of Dynamiclear, there are various other forms of treatment that can improve your quality of life by reducing or eliminating symptoms.

As a result of a primary infection, the body produces antibodies to the particular type of HSV involved, whether it's HSV-1 or HSV-2.

This process takes about six weeks, and it's known as "seroconversion".

For example, if you have oral herpes brought about by the HSV-1 virus, approximately six weeks after the primary infection, the resultant antibodies will prevent your system contracting an additional form of HSV-1 herpes on a different part of your body.

This applies to genital HSV-1 as well as many of the lesser known types of HSV-1 such as herpetic whitlow and herpes gladiatorum.

These antibodies also give you a certain measure of immunity against all forms of Herpesviridae, which makes it harder to contract another type of herpes, including the HSV-2 genital variety.

Now for the bad news:

If you have either of the herpes types, there is a very good chance of passing it on to someone else such as friends, family, children, spouses or lovers - without being aware of doing so. This is because herpes can be transmitted by casual contact as well as sexual activity.

Can you avoid contracting the virus or passing it on if you already have it?

You be the judge:

• With oral herpes (cold sores or fever blisters), during either the active or the shedding stage, a quick peck on the lips is all it takes.
• As for the genital variety, the use of a latex condom and/or a dental dam will reduce the risk of transmission by 50%. This applies either when the virus is shedding or when there are visible signs of herpes.

• Daily suppressive antiviral treatment will reduce the frequency of viral shedding.

Can a Women Fall Pregnant if She Has Genital Herpes?

Yes -- see Herpes and Pregnancy

Which Type is Most Common - HSV-1 or HSV-2?

Even though there has been a 30% increase in the number of people infected with genital herpes since 1970, HSV-1 still appears to be more prolific.

Until recent times, the two types were clearly delineated. If you had herpes, you either occasionally developed cold sores, or you experienced outbreaks of pimples, blisters or lesions on the genitals, anus, inner thighs, buttocks or surrounding area of your lower body.

However, with the passage of time, the boundaries between the two types are becoming less and less well defined.

The reason?

As mentioned above, the genitals can be infected with oral herpes, and the mouth is susceptible to genital herpes.

To speed things up, news is getting around via pornography, word-of-mouth and the publicity given to the joys and perils of oral and anal sex over the internet.

Let's be honest, people are sexually curious and some are more than willing to experiment with new techniques. Oral and to a lesser extent, anal sex, is rapidly gaining a certain measure of moral acceptance with more and more couples embracing these practices.

As a result, an increasing number are contracting the HSV-1 variety on their genitals and the HSV-2 variety on the mouth.

Can Herpes Kill You?

As a general rule neither oral nor genital herpes are clinically dangerous or life threatening. However, if you take psychological factors into account, this disease can have debilitating, dangerous and sometimes even deadly side effects.

It doesn't end there, because there are some other related diseases that should be taken into account:

• Herpetic whitlow, (infection to the hands, fingers and fingertips).
• Herpes gladiatorum (passed on by wrestling and bodily contact during other sporting events).
• Herpes simplex keratitis (infection to the eyes that can cause blindness).
• Cerebral herpes infection otherwise known as encephalitis. (Life threatening).
• Mollaret's meningitis. (Life threatening).
• Neonatal herpes. (Life threatening to newborn babies).
• Bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease and possibly Bell's palsy.

Bottom line?

If you are married, don't stray.

If you're single, acquire and nurture one mutually monogamous relationship with someone you care for and who has a herpes status matching your own.

• Women's Health.gov: Genital Herpes Fact Sheet "
• American Academy of Dermatology: Herpes Simplex
• American Academy of Dermatology: Herpes Simplex
• University of South Caroliner School of Medecine: Herpes Viruses
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Herpes

• MedScape: Herpes Infection - Beyond a Clinical Diagnosis

Need to speak with someone right away?

Call:

American Social Health Association Hotline: 919-361-8400 (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday). Or go directly to the ASHA website.

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