This is a list of questions I am slowly compiling, mainly as I find answers to them myself. If you have a question that I haven't answered, please email it to me.
How many people have herpes?
About 1 in 5 adults in the US have herpes, according to ASHA (the American Social Health Association). However, only 1/3 of them know they have it.
Can I have herpes and not know it?
Yes! Many times, herpes doesn't cause noticeable symptoms. Most people think that having herpes means you always get the sores, 100% of the time. If they haven't seen sores, they don't think they have it. In reality, herpes can infect a person "quietly", causing either no symptoms at all or symptoms so mild that they are interpreted as something else. Herpes can look like a yeast infection, irritation, pimples, and other things that occur on the genitalia. This is why people get it and don't realize they're infected.
Is it safe to have sex with someone who has herpes when they are not showing symptoms?
It is never 100% safe to have sex with someone who has herpes and assume you won't get it, no matter whether they have symptoms or not. Obviously, you would be exposed and probably infected if the person had open sores. But if they don't have any signs of the virus, it is still possible for you to be infected. This occurs because of something called asymptomatic viral shedding. When a person with herpes does not have symptoms, most of the time they are not contagious. However, there are a few days during the year when the virus is active and the person is contagious, but they see no signs of it. Herpes.org has a bunch of information about this on their page about asymptomatic viral shedding. Apparently, they did a study and realized that every single participant was contagious 1 day out of every 100 consecutive days that they took a test. So if you had sex with someone who had herpes on that ONE DAY, then you would be exposed.
Does the herpes virus stay in the body for life?
So far, all the research I have read says yes. However, the viral count becomes lower and lower as time goes on.
Is there a test for herpes?
There are blood tests for herpes, although many of them are not accurate. This is why Planned Parenthood, some doctors, and most health departments don't test for herpes when you ask for "all STD tests." There are a couple of things that can mess up a herpes blood test:
1. If you have had chicken pox, some blood tests will read positive for herpes.
2. Some tests can't distinguish between type 1 and type 2, meaning that if you've ever had a cold sore (type 1), then they will read positive for herpes, and you won't know if you actually have the STD.
3. Some tests give false negatives.
4. Some tests are cultures, meaning they can only be done if you are having an outbreak at the time.
There are a couple of tests that have very high accuracy. Three of these are the POCkit HSV-2 Rapid Test, HerpeSelect from Focus Technologies, and the Western Blot. The POCkit test can only be done in a doctor's office, and it doesn't distinguish between type 1 and 2 - but it provides results in 10 minutes. Information about this is available at pockit.com. HerpeSelect is very accurate, but it, too, does not pinpoint whether you have type 1 or 2. This test can be found at focusanswers.com. The Western Blot is an accurate test that distinguishes between type 1 and type 2 herpes. The only thing it won't tell you is WHERE precisely on your body you have the virus. You have to ask your doctor for this test.
