1. Herpes Simplex Isn't Simple
Herpes is the name of a group of viruses. All herpes viruses cause painful blisters. Herpes simplex is the herpes virus that causes cold sores of the mouth and genital herpes. Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease. Genital herpes spreads when someone who is infected comes in contact with a break in the skin of someone else. This happens through the skin on the mouth or the genitalia through any type of sexual intercourse. It's most often spread when the blisters are visible, but herpes is transferable any time someone is infected, even if they have no open sores.
2. Sex Isn't the Only Culprit
Genital herpes most often spreads through sexual intercourse. But this isn't the only way to get the virus. Mothers who have herpes spread the disease to their unborn children when giving birth. Herpes on one part of the body spreads to other parts by the fingers, so herpes on the mouth spreads easily to the eyes.
3. No Known Cure
There is no known cure for herpes, but there are drugs that help with pain and speed healing. Certain drugs also make outbreaks less frequent. These come in both oral and topical forms.
4. Prevention Is the Best Cure
The best way to stop herpes is to keep from getting it in the first place. The only way to do this is by not having unprotected sex. Condoms used properly protect the skin from exposure to the herpes simplex virus and prevent the transfer of the virus from one person to another. Abstain from sex with anyone who has an active case of genital herpes. Understand that herpes transfers from person to person even when no visible outbreak is present and weigh the risks. Prevention is also true for cold sores. New medicines prevent cold sores from forming when applied as soon as the first evidence of a cold sore is present. Most people feel cold sores long before they become blisters, and this is when to apply medicines like Abreva.
5. More Family Members
Other members of the herpes family include herpes zoster and other types that cause both shingles and chicken pox. New vaccines available for both these conditions make children immune to chicken pox. Doctors recommend shingles vaccines for people over 60 who have had chicken pox. Shingles happens when the chicken pox virus lies dormant in nerve cells and wakes up. This usually happens in adults with health problems or can come from extreme stress and anxiety. Children get the chicken pox vaccine as a part of their routine vaccination schedule.
