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Good virus/bad virus-herpes and dating


Natalie8

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I came across a brilliant article that i wanted to share here as i noticed on several threads that there is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to herpes.

Here is a link to the article Herpes HSV-1 & HSV-2

but if you dont want to read it here is a summary: Genital herpes has a huge stigma around it while herpes that occurs above the waistline is normally referred to as cold sore. Both are caused by the herpex simplex virus and the two strains are HSV type 1- normally causes outbreaks on the lips and HSV type 2 normally causes an outbreak in the genital area. My sexual health doctor just explained to me today that about 80% of grown ups have the virus in their bodies, some have type 2 some have type 1 some have both. Most people have no idea they have it as they never have outbreaks or there are so mild that they put it down to irritation etc or dont even notice it. Type 1 , although it is mostly responsible for cold sores can also causes sores in the genital area and type 2 although normally responsible for sores in the genital area can also occur on the face. Still, genital herpes is considered a huge problem, people who have it are made to feel dirty etc while cold sores are well..just cold sores. Isnt that interesting (and incredibly sad as well)? So many people have it but it is still considered as cheaters' disease or the sign that you sleep around.

 

If people who are aware of having Type 2 are told that there is a moral obligation to tell sexual partners about it then does that mean that people who have Type 1 should tell their partner before any kissing happens? Since both types can occur both on the lips and genitals it means if you ever had a cold sore you have herpes that can one day cause an outbreak in the genitals

What do you think?.

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HereNorThere

Type one is not considered an STD/STI because that's not the primary means of transmission. Also, since 80 percent of the population carries it, it's not something you have to disclose. However, if you are having an outbreak, it would be considerate to not kiss someone.

 

Type 2 means you are legally obligated to disclose it in most places. You can be criminally charged for not disclosing an std to a partner.

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If people who are aware of having Type 2 are told that there is a moral obligation to tell sexual partners about it then does that mean that people who have Type 1 should tell their partner before any kissing happens? Since both types can occur both on the lips and genitals it means if you ever had a cold sore you have herpes that can one day cause an outbreak in the genitals

What do you think?.

 

If you have HSV1 and get cold cores on your mouth, you're not going to randomly wake up one morning with an outbreak on your genitals. It doesn't just hop around on one's body.

 

HSV1 can, however, be contracted on the genitals, from oral sex from someone with a cold sore, but it's not the most common case.

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Sure, if you have a cold sore on the mouth you shouldnt kiss just like if you have a genital outbreak you should refrain from sex but turns out you can still spread it even if you have no symptoms/ outbreaks.

I had cold sores as a teenager so i defo have Type 1 but i never felt the need to disclose.

I was having a general STD check like i do every 6 months. Here in the UK it is free. Anyways, the topic of herpes came up and i thought i would ask the doctor about the two types and she told me that although most people with Type 1 have cold sores you can indeed -contrary to popular belief- wake up one morning and have an outbreak on your genitals. It is uncommon but happens. It wont be as severe as Type 2 but it is possible. I found that hard to wrap my head around so i did some online research and i came across the article.

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deathandtaxes

A lot of clinics consider it harmless and will not screen for it. That should tell you something. The fact it is so stigmatized, well, that's an entirely different issue.

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Type one is not considered an STD/STI because that's not the primary means of transmission. Also, since 80 percent of the population carries it, it's not something you have to disclose. However, if you are having an outbreak, it would be considerate to not kiss someone.

 

Type 2 means you are legally obligated to disclose it in most places. You can be criminally charged for not disclosing an std to a partner.

See thats the weird thing. Type 1 can be passed from oral sex ( from cold sore on mouth to genital) so the person would end up with Type 1 genital herpes but Type 1 is not considered an STD so there is no legal responsibility to disclose..even though the end results are the same..genital herpes

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I think that the ethical thing to do, once it's apparent that kissing and more is in the offing, is to disclose it to your partner so they can decide if they want to take that risk.

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HereNorThere
See thats the weird thing. Type 1 can be passed from oral sex ( from cold sore on mouth to genital) so the person would end up with Type 1 genital herpes but Type 1 is not considered an STD so there is no legal responsibility to disclose..even though the end results are the same..genital herpes

 

 

You can also transmit the common cold, flu or virtually any infectious disease through sexual contact. The difference is the word PRIMARY. It's primary means of transmission is not sexual contact.

 

And no, the end result is not genital herpes. Even if you have HSV1 sores on your genitals, medical science does not consider that genital herpes because the genitals are not it's primary resting place in your body. You may develop the outbreak there initially because of the contact, but once it becomes dormant/asymptomatic, it's more likely to appear as cold sores when you have your next outbreak. Not only that, but HSV2 is much more aggressive and more likely to cause cancer.

 

Seriously, nearly everyone has hsv1, nearly everyone has either performed or received oral sex, but they aren't running around with sores on their genitals. There is a big, big difference between the two.

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Thanks for your replies.

I think i will agree to disagree because as far as i can tell from my online search if the sores are in the genitals then it is genital herpes. It doesnt have to be Type 2 to be considered genital. Welcome to the HVA website "genital herpes is caused by either herpes simplex type 1 or herpes simplex type 2". My doc said the same.

I cant compare the agressiveness because i only have cold sores ( from childhood so i assume it was type 1).

However i would think that type 1 is more to worry about medically because it resides in nerve cells close to the face so it is more likely to cause sores in the eye or brain...unlikely but possible..(since im already blind in one eye anything with even a remote chance of messing with my other eye freaks me out. )

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HereNorThere
Thanks for your replies.

I think i will agree to disagree because as far as i can tell from my online search if the sores are in the genitals then it is genital herpes. It doesnt have to be Type 2 to be considered genital. Welcome to the HVA website "genital herpes is caused by either herpes simplex type 1 or herpes simplex type 2". My doc said the same.

I cant compare the agressiveness because i only have cold sores ( from childhood so i assume it was type 1).

However i would think that type 1 is more to worry about medically because it resides in nerve cells close to the face so it is more likely to cause sores in the eye or brain...unlikely but possible..(since im already blind in one eye anything with even a remote chance of messing with my other eye freaks me out. )

 

 

Nearly everyone has it it. 80% of people are carriers and they're doing just fine. Sorry, but HSV2 is a life altering disease and HSV1 is hardly even tested for anymore because it's just expected that you probably already have it. You are greatly mistaken about this.

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I had a cold sore a couple of times when I was a kid. I guess I have herpes.

 

Yep, you do. I'll bet we can find antibodies toward it in your blood. If you're not squeamish, I have a large bore needle I like to use.

 

But seriously, I used to get cold sores as a kid. I got the chicken pox at 15 or 16 (high school, embarrassing like you wouldn't believe), and never had another cold sore after. Related viruses, related immunity.

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lana-banana

Given the vast majority of people alive have HSV1 there's no reason to disclose it. Also, having HSV1 in multiple locations is possible but rare, so even if you were a complete idiot and had oral sex during an outbreak, if your partner is already infected---and they probably are---they most likely wouldn't have another outbreak down there. But of course it's still possible, so don't do it.

 

Most people, myself included, catch HSV1 as very young children from kissy relatives. It's honestly better to get it as a kid because the outbreaks reduce in frequency and severity over time. Nowadays I get one or two extremely mild outbreaks per year.

 

The stigma around genital herpes is utterly ridiculous and unwarranted, especially considering its prevalence (around 25% of all adults in the US, and up to 70% of all adults in parts of western Europe). But it's still an STD. It is almost impossible to transmit any other way. As HereNorThere said, you are obligated to tell your partners about sexually transmitted diseases. It's that simple.

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