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The symptoms of genital herpes vary greatly from person to person,
with many people having no noticeable symptoms (asymptomatic).
Genital Herpes:
The first outbreak and other symptoms
Recurrences
What brings on or "triggers" an outbreak or recurrence?
Prodrome (warning symptoms)
Cycle of a typical outbreak or recurrence
Routine Check-ups
Mistaken symptoms
The first outbreak...
Symptoms:
usually develop within 2 to 20 days after contact
could continue up to 2 weeks
may be so mild it goes unnoticed
may take longer or be less severe in some people, especially in
those with partial immunity to the virus from having facial herpes,
e.g. cold sores.
in the first attack sometimes causes visible sores
last between 10 - 21 days
The first episode is the most severe as most people have not been
exposed to the virus before and antibodies will not have been produced
to trigger the immune response.
When the genital herpes virus gets into skin cells it reproduces
itself and starts to multiply, making the skin red and sensitive. Blisters
or bumps may appear on the genital area, the blisters first opening, then
healing with the regeneration of new skin tissue.
The infected area:
is usually painful and may itch, burn or tingle, during the genital
herpes outbreak.
Other symptoms include:
swollen lymph glands
painful inflamed blisters develop around infected area
headache
muscle ache
fever
vaginal or penis discharge
infection of the urethra causing a burning sensation during urination
a burning sensation in the genitals
lower back pain
small red bumps may appear in the genital area following earlier
symptoms, later developing into painful blisters, which crust
over, form a scab, and heal.
No Symptoms:
Up to 60% of people who have genital herpes show no signs of the
disease and are unaware that they are infected, but are capable of transmitting
the virus to others (asymptomatic viral shedding).
Recurrences
Subsequent recurrences of the virus may cause an outbreak of blisters.
Recurrences:
are usually shorter and less severe than the initial episode
may decrease in both severity and frequency over time
are usually preceded by warning symptoms (also known as prodromal
symptoms)
After the lesions have healed, and the symptoms of recurrence
have ended, pain and discomfort in the genital area is still sometimes
felt (post-herpetic neuralgia).
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to treat this
condition. Valtrex is the most common prescription drug used to treat genital
herpes. Some people find these drugs effective for the discomfort of
the prodrome, and for the duration of the outbreak.
How common are recurrences?
80% of persons having a first episode caused by HSV-2 will have
at least one recurrence
50% of persons with HSV-1 will experience a recurrence
The most common scenario is occasional recurrences (about 4 attacks
per year)
Usually, the first year has the most viral activity
A recurrence takes place when the virus replicates in the nerve
ganglia and particles of the genital herpes virus travel along the nerve
to the site of primary infection in the skin or mucous membranes (inner,
moist lining of the mouth, vagina etc).
There are very subtle forms of recurring genital herpes found
on the penis, vulva, anus, thigh and buttocks or anywhere in or around
the genital area that heal very quickly (within a matter of days).
Signs of Recurrent Outbreaks:
Breaks or irregularities in the skin, such as a cut, red bump
or rash
Small sores or blisters that form a crust may occur anywhere in
the region between the legs--thigh, buttocks, anus, or pubis
Healing occurs in half the time as the first outbreak
What brings on or "triggers" an outbreak or recurrence?
Although it is not known exactly why the virus reactivates at
various times, both physical and/or psychological factors can bring
on an outbreak.
Physical Factors:
Physical factors differ from person to person, but may be caused
from:
being run-down
suffering from other genital infections (affecting the local skin
area)
menstruation
drinking a lot of alcohol
exposure of the area to strong sunlight
conditions that compromise a person's immune system (where the
body's immune system is not functioning normally)
prolonged periods of stress
ultraviolet light
friction or damage to the skin, caused by, for example, sexual
intercourse, may also lead to a recurrence
surgical trauma
anything that lowers your immune system or causes local injury
can trigger recurrences.
Psychological Factors:
periods of prolonged stress can cause more frequent recurrences
it is also common to experience stress and anxiety as a result
of having recurrences.
Prodrome
A warning sign (prodrome) is experienced by many people in recurring
outbreaks. Warning symptoms which indicate the virus is becoming active,
and is on its way to the skin's surface may include:
itching
tingling
numbness
burning
general fatigue
flu-like symptoms
fever
swelling of the lymph nodes in the area of outbreak
headache
painful urination
pain in the buttocks, back of legs, lower back
Cycle of a typical outbreak or recurrence
The symptoms of an active herpes outbreak or recurrence may occur
in the following phases.
Symptomatic Course of the Disease:
Inflammation
Swelling, tenderness, and/or redness that may appear before the
actual outbreak, and may include itching, and sensitivity. The inflammation
may never progress to blisters.
Blisters
One or several small fluid filled lesions, tiny red bumps, or
rash may form and can resemble small fissures, especially near the anus.
Ulcers
When the skin breaks on the blisters, small, round, wet looking,
ulcers leaking clear to milky colored fluid can be seen. Refer to the
pictures of herpes if you haven't already done so.
Crust
The sores begin to dry, scab, and crust over beginning the healing
process. The virus may possibly still be present until the ulcer has
completely healed, and the scab falls off.
NOTE: the sores do not always crust before healing.
Healing
New skin is formed and may look slightly red, or silver. Viral
replication is complete, the virus has left the skin's surface, and the
skin is now safe to touch. Healing of the skin does
not normally leave scarring. The virus then retreats into the nerves
and lies dormant.
Routine Check-ups
A check up for genital herpes is important because:
lesions can be overlooked
lesions can be invisible to the human eye
Mistaken Symptoms
Herpes outbreaks can be mistaken for:
insect bites
jock itch
abrasions
razor burn
yeast infections
hemorrhoids
ingrown hair follicles
There are many conditions and STDs that are often confused with
herpes.
Should any of these symptoms occur, consult your doctor or other
healthcare provider for a test. (see herpes pictures.)
<a
Herpes Transmission
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Genital herpes can be transmitted with or without the presence of sores
or other symptoms, and is often transmitted by people who are unaware
that they are infected.
The cold sore or herpes virus is generally spread by skin-to-skin
contact. There is a risk of the virus spreading when the first signs of
tingling or itching begin (prodrome), as well as when no sores or blisters
are visible. (Herpes pictures)
How is genital herpes spread?
Asymptomatic Transmission
Can Herpes be transmitted during pregnancy and can the herpes
virus be passed on to a baby?
How is herpes spread?
Direct contact with the live virus including:
Any direct contact with an herpes infection
Kissing, touching or caressing actively infected areas
Sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex)
Cold sores or mouth herpes can be spread by sharing the same drinking
glass, lipstick, cigarette, etc.
Herpes can be spread by any of the following real-life situations:
Kissing someone if you have a cold sore can transfer the virus
to any part of the body that you kiss them (including inside of the mouth
and throat, or the genitals)
The virus can be transmitted to your partner if you have active
genital herpes and have vaginal or anal intercourse
If you have a cold sore and put your mouth on your partner's genitals
(oral sex), your partner can be infected with genital herpes. Consequently,
oral sex should definitely be avoided if one partner has a facial herpes
attack.
People who experience an episode of herpes, either facial or genital,
should consider themselves infectious from the first sign of an outbreak
to the healing of the last ulcer.
Occasionally, one partner in a long-term relationship may develop
symptoms of genital herpes for the first time. Often this is due to
one or both of the partners being asymptomatic carriers of HSV and not
knowing it.
A mother can pass the virus onto her baby during pregnancy or
at birth. Click here for more information.
One kind of complication involves spreading the virus from the
location of an outbreak to other places on the body by touching the sore(s).
The fingers, eyes, and other body areas can accidentally become infected
in this way. Preventing self-infection is simple. Do not touch the area during
an outbreak. If you do, wash your hands as soon as possible with soap and
warm water.
Reports have been sited of possible transmission via 'Hot tubs"
but there is scientific skepticism as to whether or not the virus can
be transmitted via inanimate objects such as toilet seats.
It is generally considered that the spreading of genital herpes
through inanimate objects, such as soap, towels, clothing, bed sheets,
toilet seats, and spa surfaces is highly unlikely because the genital
herpes virus cannot live very long outside of the body.
Asymptomatic Transmission
Can Genital Herpes Be Transmitted Without Symptoms?
Sometimes those who know they are infected spread the virus between
outbreaks when no signs or symptoms are present. This is called
asymptomatic transmission.
Herpes simplex infections are often spread by people who are unaware
they are infected because their symptoms may be so mild as to be unnoticeable
or may not relate the symptoms to herpes.
Many genital herpes infections are spread by asymptomatic "shedders"
of the virus. The virus can still be present in people with no obvious
lesions during periods of asymptomatic virus shedding.
Many couples have had sexual relations for years without transmitting
genital herpes. Some simply avoid having sexual contact when signs
or symptoms are present, while others use condoms or other protection
between outbreaks to help protect against asymptomatic shedding.
Asymptomatic virus shedding cannot be predicted but is known to
occur on at least 5% of days during the year.
Can Herpes be transmitted during pregnancy and can the herpes
virus be passed on to a baby?
Infants can become infected with the herpes virus. If you
have ever been exposed to genital herpes talk with your doctor before
planning a pregnancy, even if you have never had symptoms or have not
experienced a recurrence in a long time.
You will need to contact your health care professional for more
information about pregnancy with herpes, and to obtain appropriate tests
and follow-up care for the pregnancy.
Should you have genital herpes present in the birth canal near
the time of delivery, a caesarean section might be necessary to protect
the newborn from coming into direct contact with the virus.
Babies can also contract herpes from being kissed by someone with
a cold sore (5 - 8%). A young child cannot fight off infections as easily
as an adult can, so serious health problems can occur. If you suffer
from cold sores take every precaution not to put an infant child at risk.
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This genital herpes virus is generally spread by skin-to-skin
contact from active blisters to an open cut or even where the skin has
been roughened-up by an abrasion or by heavy sex. Some reports
suggest that the virus may also be spread before the blister stage when
the area is reddish and itchy.
CONDOMS AND GLOVES
Contact with an open blister should be scrupulously avoided because
of the highly contagious nature of this virus If this is possible because
the blister is somewhere else on the body, not directly at a sexual organ,
or the blister is small an can be covered up then sex can be engaged
in fairly safely
If this is not possible then a rubber condom and soft rubber surgical
gloves should be used and disposed of, NOT down the toilet, but first
into plastic bags and then ideally incinerated or at least double wrapped
and put outside into the garbage bin,
It is promising to hear reports from couples, within which one
partner has the virus and the other does not, that if you employ the
right avoidance techniques it is possible to have sex and not spread the
virus
If you choose to have a sexual relationship with a person who
has genital herpes, you must accept the risk that you could get it,
too. You will need to understand the basics of genital herpes prevention.
In a new relationship, you may have concerns about risking infection for
a relationship which may not last.
On the other hand, if you have been sexually active in the past,
you may have been at risk for herpes, and you may actually have it yourself.
Remember, most people with genital herpes don't know they have it. Because
herpes can be spread in the absence of symptoms, it can be hard to know
when a person became infected-and by whom. In fact, if you and your partner
have had sex, it's even possible that your partner got genital herpes from
you.
If you would like to find out
whether you have genital herpes, a blood test can tell you whether you have
HSV-2, the type of herpes that usually infects the genital area. (A blood test
may also tell you whether you have HSV-1, but it cannot distinguish between
genital and oral infection. In many cases, a positive result simply means you
have oral herpes.)
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Herpesvirus hominis, or herpes simplex virus (HSV), is one of the most common agents infecting humans of all ages. The virus occurs worldwide and produces a variety of illnesses, including mucocutaneous infections, infections of the CNS, and occasionally infections of the visceral organs. Infections in children can include neonatal disease, mucocutaneous infections during childhood and adolescence, and serious disease in individuals who are immunocompromised. Genital HSV infection in older adolescents and adults is a major public health problem, having markedly increased in prevalence in the last 3 decades. This increased prevalence of genital HSV infections poses major threats to newborns because most infections in neonates are acquired perinatally. Neonatal HSV infection is a disease with high morbidity and mortality rates.
Laboratory methods used to diagnose HSV infections have improved over time. The rapidity, sensitivity, and specificity of newer tools have improved the accuracy and timeliness of management and have enhanced our understanding of HSV infections.
HSV infections are among the few non-HIV viral infections that can be managed with antiviral therapy. Available antiviral chemotherapy can be used to prevent disease and recurrences, to shorten the clinical course, and to treat the infection.
HSVs tend to infect cells of ectodermal origin. After direct exposure to infectious material (ie, saliva, genital secretions), initial viral replication occurs at the entry site in the skin or mucous membrane.
The biologic properties of HSV that control the course of infection are neuroinvasiveness (the ability of the virus to invade the brain), its neurotoxicity (its ability to multiply and destroy the brain), and its latency (its ability to remain in a nonreplicating form in the dorsal root ganglia of the CNS).
After retrograde axonal flow from neurons at the viral point of entry and local replication, the viral genome becomes latent. No viral particles are produced during latency. In rare cases, the initial replication may lead to disease and life-threatening infection (eg, encephalitis).
After the initial nonspecific inflammatory response to primary infection, specific antibody response occurs in a few days, followed by a cellular immune response in the second or third week. In persons with cellular immune defects, primary HSV infection can result in life-threatening disseminated disease.
A stimulus (eg, physical or emotional stress, fever, ultraviolet light) reactivates the virus in the form of skin vesicles or mucosal ulcers, with symptoms less severe than those of the primary infection. Latent HSV can be reactivated from the trigeminal, sacral, and vagal ganglia.
Although the range of susceptible hosts for HSV infections is wide, humans are the primary hosts for infection. The epidemiology of HSV involves symptomatic and asymptomatic infection, with resultant transmission and maintenance of a large pool of individuals with latent infection. Continued spread of the infection is ensured by the vast reservoir of the virus, which can be transmitted through symptomatic recurrences and asymptomatic disease.
Beyond the neonatal period, most childhood HSV infections are
caused by herpesvirus type 1 (HSV-1), which is transmitted primarily by contact
with infected saliva. Herpesvirus type 2 (HSV-2) infections are usually sexually
transmitted, and genital herpes infections are among the most common sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs). As a reflection of the association of infection
with sexual activity, many HSV-2 infections occur around puberty and early
adolescence. In the United States, HSV-2 seroprevalence increases from about
20-30% in patients aged 15-29 years to 35-60% in patients aged 60 years. This
change represents a 30% increase compared with data from 1976-1980.
The
prevalence of HSV-2 infections has dramatically increased in recent years. The
third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) found that
22% of the general US population older than 12 years had antibodies to
HSV-2.1 In another survey of patients in a
suburban primary care office, 25.5% of patients were seropositive for HSV-2.
Approximately 500,000 primary infections occur each year.2
Factors that increase the frequency of HSV-2 infection in older adolescents and adults include sex (more women than men), race (more African Americans than whites), marital status (more divorced individuals than single or married individuals), and place of residence (more city residents than suburban residents).
Genital HSV infection in pregnant women is common; 20-30%
of pregnant women have antibodies to HSV-2. Approximately 10% of pregnant
women who are HSV-2 seronegative have a sexual partner who is HSV-2
seropositive and are, therefore, at risk of contracting a primary HSV-2
infection during pregnancy. Overall, approximately 2% of women acquire HSV
during pregnancy. In pregnant women, the prevalence of HSV excretion from the
genital tract at term is estimated to be 0.3-1.9%. Surveys of women of
childbearing age in the late 1980s revealed HSV-2 antibodies in
35-60%
One study evaluated HSV seroprevalence in a group of pregnant
women (n=626).3 The mean age of the women was 27 years,
and the median number of lifetime sexual partners was 4. Seroprevalence to
HSV-1 was 63%, whereas seroprevalence to HSV-2 was 22%. Infection with
both HSV types was 13%. HSV seronegativity was noted in 28%. The prevalence
of HSV antibodies differed by race and ethnicity, with nonHispanic white
patients more likely to be seronegative compared with other racial and ethnic
groups (40% vs 11%, P <.001). Increased numbers of lifetime sexual
partners also correlated with higher rates of HSV seropositivity in these
women. This study projected the rate of neonatal herpes to be 33 cases
per 100,000 live births.
Importantly, as many as 90% of individuals with
genital herpes do not know that they are infected. Virtually all of
these individuals intermittently shed HSV from the genital tract,
and some have mild, recurrent symptomatic disease. Most sexual transmission
occurs during periods of subclinical reactivation among persons who do not know
that they are infected.
HSV is well distributed worldwide. The prevalence rate of genital herpes in developing countries is 2-74%, depending on the country. In some African countries that are experiencing HIV epidemics, HSV-2 infection is highly prevalent (>70%). Evidence suggests that genital HSV infection increases the risk of HIV infection and that persons infected with both viruses are more likely to transmit HIV infection.
Most cases of infection with either HSV-1 or HSV-2 do not result in serious morbidity. Mortality associated with HSV is primarily related to perinatal infection, encephalitis, and infection in individuals who are immunocompromised.
CLICK
HERE FOR A HERBAL FORMULA THAT PREVENTS HERPES OUTBREAKS.
My Herpes Story, #3 , By Martha A, age 23.
Another in the series of personal herpes stories inspired by people
with herpes who found help by using the "Special Herbs".
I had sex
with only two men, and I got herpes. I didn't loose my virginity until I was 19.
I had planned to wait until I was engaged, or even until I was married before I
had sex. At school and then college, I had heard girls talking about how
great it was, and of course I was curious. By 18 or 19, some girls had already
been having sex for several years. Finally I decided I wanted to try it, to
loose my virginity, and get it over with. I did not have a boyfriend at the
time. I decided I would just find a man who was kind and decent, and do it, and
see what it was like.
I found a guy 2 years older, and we did it 3
times over a 5 day period. I was actually dissapointed, as it was not as good as
I had thought it would be. I thought it must be the guy, so I found another guy
and we had sex a few times over the next week or so. (Yes, he was better!) About
a week later, I noticed sores on my vagina, and I went to my doctor. It was
herpes. I was told it can take 2 to 4 weeks or more to surface and become
evident, so it could have been either of the two guys I was with.
I was
devastated. I cried and cried for weeks. The sores went away, and then they came
back. This happened over and over again. I felt sad a lot, and I just stayed
home and didn't go anywhere. I didn't even feel like eating many times.
My doctor prescribed Valtrex, and it helped. But I got headaches from
it, and I researched Valtrex on the net and found out it was not a "good idea"
to stay on it too long. To me that meant there were probably some serious side
effects. I looked on the net more, and found out about the Special Herbs, and
that is when my life started to get better. I am writing this to encourage
others. Life can get better. I don't have outbreaks any more. I have a steady
boyfriend now, and I told him I had herpes before we had sex, and he is OK with
it.
Martha
A.
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You can go to the
website for the Special Herbs by CLICKING HERE.
If
you would like to write your own personal herpes story, you can send it by email
through the site above. No need to worry about perfect grammar, as it will be
edited if need be. Your story about herpes will help
others.
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