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| Herpes Simplex Virus |
Herpes Simplex Virus is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections today. There are many people who do not know much about this condition,
despite the fact that it is one of the commonest STIs. In order to be protected
from the disease, it is often a good idea that one tries to understand more
about it. This way, they can then know how to behave in order to not contract
it or to simply get the right kind of treatment.
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| Oral Herpes |
How is the condition contracted?
There are two kinds of herpes: genital herpes and oral
herpes. The latter mostly affects the lips and is manifested as cold sores. It
is normally transmitted through activities such as kissing and is not a
sexually transmitted infection. Genital herpes, on the other hand, is a
condition that is transmitted by sexual interaction with someone who suffers
from active disease. Both kinds of herpes are caused by a virus.
Characteristics of the herpes virus
In order to understand more about how herpes can affect you,
it is a good idea to have some basic knowledge about how the virus works. When
one gets infected by the virus, they normally display signs such as fever and
chills a few days after the infection. In addition to that, one may also have
painful sores over their genitals as well. Once the initial infection is
healed, the virus then stays within the cells (mostly nerve cells) within the
region, and do not get removed from one’s body for the rest of their lives.
The latter point is very important to appreciate. Unlike
most other conditions, a lack of symptoms does not mean that one does not have
herpes. In fact, a great proportion of the world may have the virus in their
bodies, but the fact that the infection is silent means that they may not exhibit
some of the signs mentioned above. If the infection is in remission, it also
means that even if one has sexual contact with such an individual, they are
unlikely to contract the disease. For the most part, the only way that one can
contract the disease is by having contact with a person who is having active
disease, not passive.
Once you have contracted herpes infection, it will stay
latent in your body for the rest of your life. During this time, a number of
triggers may induce the viruses to start being active again, and this normally
leads to active disease. It has been proposed that conditions such as fever and
stress can be part of the triggers that can cause activation.
The demographic group more susceptible to herpes
As is the case with most other medical conditions, there are
certain groups that are more likely to be affected by herpes than the others.
For one, studies show that women have a greater chance of getting the infection
as compared to men. In addition to that, it has also come to light that sexual
practices such as having unprotected anal sex can also lead to an increased
incidence of the condition.
Methods of protecting people from herpes
There are many things that you can do to ensure that you
protect yourself from herpes. Most of these are common sense. For instance,
simply avoiding unprotected sex with high-risk groups such as people who have
many other sexual partners can drastically reduce the risk of getting the
infection. In addition to that, you will also find that using condoms can also
reduce the chances of getting the infection.
The issue of condom use when it comes to protection from
herpes is one that may not make sense to many. It has been shown that barrier
methods such as the use of condoms can reduce the chances of an individual
getting herpes infections, but only by 30%. By contrast, the chances of getting
an infection such as HIV are much higher than this.
The reason for this disparity is the fact that with herpes,
the lesions may not be covered by the condom. For instance, if the lesions are
on the skin around the genital area, a condom won’t protect contact between
such lesions and the skin of the healthy individual. It is, therefore, a good
idea to note that using a condom will not give complete protection from contracting
the condition, but will reduce the chances of doing so.
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