How do I know if I have herpes?

It is difficult to paint a single picture of what herpes infection is like. The symptoms depend not only on the severity of infection but also on its site. For the most part, herpes simplex prefers mucous membranes, where the skin is thin. These include areas like the lips of the mouth (oral herpes, HSV1) and the labia (lips) of the vagina (genital herpes, HSV2). However, any area of the body may be fair territory for herpes.

When genital sores erupt, they usually do so at the site where the virus took hold, which is usually on the external genitals. Sores generally look like a cluster of small blisters filled with clear or whitish fluid. The classical herpes sore is just this: a group of small blisters (vesicles) on a red base of inflamed skin

In many cases, these blisters are never seen, and the first signs of infection are small erosions of the skin called ulcers. Ulcers also tend to come in clusters or groups. They may feel like chafing of the skin or some other irritation. Genital herpes may never be more severe than one very small sore on the labia or foreskin, around the anus, or on the thigh. It may be the size of a pencil eraser or as small as the sharpened lead point. The sore or chafing may never be painful at all and may not even itch.

What are the symptoms of herpes? Part II - HSV2

The symptoms of herpes simplex type 2 (HSV2) disease, or in other words, genital herpes, do not differ much from the symptoms of oral herpes. The only difference is the location of the sores and blisters on the body of the infected person. Instead of the mouth, they appear in the genital area and around the anus, or sometimes on the thigh, both in men and women. These sores and blisters look very similar with those which we may observe in the case of oral herpes. They are filled with clear liquid, too, and they cause unpleasant itching as well. In more severe cases, they can form clusters and make the skin around them swell. And they normally start to dry out and get covered with scabs in several days after the beginning of the outbreak. Then they disappear, as the virus returns to its dormant state.

When the herpes virus is dormant (inactive), the infected person shows no signs of its presence in the system. Unfortunately, the absence of any symptoms of herpes in a person cannot mean that the person is not infected, or has been cured. The herpes infection is incurable, no matter what type of the herpes virus we discuss. Once the virus gets into the body, it never leaves it, no symtoms periods alternating with occasional outbreaks of the disease.

How do you get herpes? Part II - An "innocent childhood infection," or an STD?

We have found this on the Web, too, and it seems to be a proper thing to quote on this blog as well:

Isn't it funny how "diseases" are defined by how they are aquired ONLY in the case of those sexually transmitted?

HSV1 (more commonly known as the cold sore virus) becomes an STD ONLY if one is infected with it genitally. (Meaning that one managed to be extra cautious or lucky, and avoided getting cold sores for their entire life - which made them susceptible to getting type 1 genitally as an adult. How ironic.)

Another thing that bugs me - why does it suddenly become a "disease" once transmitted genitally? I have never heard anyone refer to someone with cold sores as having a disease. And cold sores are the same exact virus, but recur much more frequently and are way more contageous than is someone with an HSV1 genital infection.

So why is it being defined simply on how it was transmitted, but only when it was done so sexually? When orally transmitted, we don't call it a KTD (kissing transmitted disease.) I know a small number of people also get it orally from sharing forks and cups and whatnot, but the majority get it from kissing, even if it's an aunt's innocent peck.

We don't call malaria or lyme disease ITDs (insect transmitted disease) or typhoid fever a FTD (feces transmitted disease.)

But we do need to forever label those who happened to aquire a common infection during, god forbid, a sexual scenario - no matter how "innocent" that scenario was, including between husband and wife?

I'm not buying into it.

We aren't either.

The history of herpes

As for the history of herpers, there is an interesting article circulating on the web. Perhaps, we should better quote it as it is:

The herpes virus has been around for a very long time, documented by the ancient Greeks as sores that seemed to 'creep' over the surface of the skin. In fact, the term "herpes" is derived from the Greek word meaning "to creep".

It is also evident that two thousand years ago, Roman Emperor Tiberius attempted to curb an epidemic of herpes labialis (mouth herpes) by outlawing kissing during public ceremonies and rituals.

The term herpes simplex was introduced in 1906 and included herpes labialis (cold sores, HSV1) and herpes progenitalis (genital herpes, HSV2) in the belief that both disorders were the same disease affecting different anatomic sites. Vidal (1873) first demonstrated herpes simplex to be infections caused by human inoculation.

The origin of herpes in human history is unknown. HSV1 has probably been around as long as anyone could diagnose the distinctive fever blisters.

Studies of the elderly in Europe and the United States have shown that 90% have been exposed to the virus. The spread of HSV1 has declined with the understanding that the herpetic sores shed the virus and that these can be spread with just a kiss. HSV2 is primarily passed on by sexual contact between humans.

Herpetic whitlow is a herpes infection in the fingers which occurred in dental personnel before the era of mandatory glove use. Like herpetic lesions elsewhere on the body, the herpes outbreaks are often painful and at times disabling.

The herpes virus is related to viruses that cause chicken pox, shingles, infectious mononucleosis and Epstein-Barr. The Epstein-Barr Virus was discovered in 1964 by M. Anthony Epstein and co-workers in Burkitt's lymphoma cells. However, it wasn't until 1968 that Gertrude and Werner Henle discovered it was actually a herpes virus and, after one of their lab technicians came down with mononucleosis, discovered its link with the herpes simplex virus.

How long does a herpes outbreak last?

How long does a herpes outbreak last? In both cases of oral (HSV1) and genital (HSV2) herpes, it mainly depends on two factors. First, if it is primary of recurrent herpes. Second, it is the matter of individual response.

Symptopms of primary herpes, that is when an individual is first infected with the herpes virus and exhibits the signs of it, usually last longer than the subsequent recurrent outbreaks. The initial outbreak is also more severe and painful. It is because the person's immune system meets the new danger for the first time, and needs time to adjust itself to it. It takes 10 to 14 or more days to heal the sores and blisters caused by the primary herpes outbreak and drive the virus into inactive (dormant) state. There are reports that in women, the primary outbreak tends to last longer than in men (up to 21 days).

After that first victory, the person's immune system gets the proper knowledge of the new threat. Forewarned is forearmed. Next time, when the herpes virus comes out of dormancy, it will usually be supressed during a shorter period of 3 to 14 days.

Why is that range, from 3 to 14 or even more days? That is just the matter of individual response. Some people have a stronger immune system, in other people it is weaker. Also, a person's general state of health plays its role. If a person's condition is weakened by some other illness or any sort of hard exposure, it will take the person's system longer to fight herpes. In most severe cases, untreated outbreaks of herpes can last up to 6 weeks.

Herpes simplex virus infection

The herpes simplex virus infection is a common, contagious disease caused by a double-stranded DNA virus. There is a number of widely spread common names for it, including "cold sore", "fever blister", and "night fever". People who get herpes infection usually suffer from occasional outbreaks of painful, watery blisters in the skin and or around mouth or on the genitals. In the first case (cold sores around the mouth), we can speak of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1). In the second case (blisters on in the genital area), of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV2). Unfortunately, in both cases, the disease is incurable. That is, ones the virus gets into a person's body, it stays there for ever. Of course, it does not mean that the person infected with herpes always has those sores and blisters, but the symptoms of herpes manifest themselves from time to time, usually when the immune system fails to react to some other health problem immediately and effectively. Typically, when someone infected with herpes virus catches a cold, he or she will most likely get herpes blisters in addition to the running nose and sneezing. However, one does not have to catch a cold to get the blisters. The latter can erupt all of a sudden any day just because a person gets too cold, or spends too much time in the open sun, or... Well, any trigger can work. So, one can never get rid of herpes simplex, and we may call the disease incurable. However, the symptoms of herpes can be cured successfully and excellently! We'll discuss it later.