Herpes
Herpes:
Herpes is a viral disease also known as HSV (which stands for herpes
simplex virus). Herpes Type I is most commonly found in the mouth,
though it can be spread to the genitals via oral sex. Herpes Type II is
most commonly located in the genitals, but it can be spread to the mouth
by oral sex. To the present date, there is no cure available for herpes.
Symptoms and Transmission:
Herpes sores tend to be blister-like and are often quite painful. It is common
for the first breakout to be very intense and to include multiple sores.
The intensity of the breakouts typically decreases with each subsequent
breakout, and after a year of infection the breakouts usually become
quite manageable. It is also important to realize that people can spread
herpes from one part of the body to another part (this is called
autoinoculation). Therefore, if you have a sore, it is important to wash
your hands with soap and water whenever you have touched the sore before
you touch another part of your body.
Fortunately, many people experience prodromal symptoms, which are feelings and
sensations people have before the onset of their next outbreak. People
can learn to pay attention to tingling sensations or warmth in the
infected area before a sore appears. Prodromal symptoms can be useful
because they help infected people predict when an outbreak is coming,
before the sores appear. Because it is easiest to transmit herpes during
an outbreak, the prodromal symptoms can clue a person to avoid intimate
contacts that might infect a partner. It is possible to transmit herpes
even when sores are not present, due to viral shedding--when viruses are
released from the body even though no sores are present. It is also
possible for a person to be infected with herpes and never show any
symptoms, so they might not even know that they are a carrier.
Emotional Involvement:
Viral shedding makes herpes one of the harder STDs to cope with on an
emotional level since there is no available cure and it is always
present in the body. The herpes diagnosis is somewhat easier to accept
once you realize how common herpes is. Some statistics indicate that
about 22% of Americans 12 years old or older have HSV-II (Fleming et
al., 1997, p. 1105). Oral herpes is even more common, with numbers
soaring higher every year. Just remember that herpes or any sexually
transmitted disease is not your fault.
Treatment:
Although there is no cure for herpes, there are some treatments
available which can decrease the frequency, length, and intensity
of each outbreak. Please contact a physician if you think you might
have herpes and discuss possible treatment options.
The Difference Between Herpes Cold Sores and Canker Sores:
The Difference Between Herpes Cold Sores and Canker Sores: Herpes Type I
most often infects the lips, causing fever blisters or "cold sores".
Observing their location and appearance can differentiate cold sores from
canker sores. Cold sores appear on or at the edge of a person's lip or on
the facial skin near a person's lip. They usually run their course within
8-12 days running through five stages: tingling, blistering, weeping, crusting,
and finally healing. Canker sores are usually found on the movable parts of
the mouth such as the tongue or the inside linings of the lips and cheeks.
They begin as small oval or round reddish swellings, which usually burst within a day.
The ruptured sores are covered by a thin white or yellow membrane and edged
by a red halo. Generally, they heal within 2 weeks. To learn more about the
differences between cold and canker sores, including causes and treatments,
see the following website:
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/fever-blister/fever-canker.html.
Click here to see a penis afflicted with herpes
Warning: Graphic Content See Photographs
Warning: Graphic Content See Photographs
Warning: Graphic Content See Photographs