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Genital Herpes: How Contagious Is Genital Herpes?

Genital herpes is very contagious and so it’s important to practice safe sex and be aware of the people we are having sexual intercourse with.

Genital herpes doesn’t affect everyone the same.  If our immune system is not as strong as it should be, the virus can cause a great deal more problems than it normally would. 

Once we are exposed to genital herpes, the virus can live in our bodies for years without us even realizing it.  Other such virus live in our bodies, such as chickenpox, but we don’t make near the fuss we do about genital herpes.

Typically, someone who has been exposed to someone with genital herpes will not experience symptoms for two to seven days

Two to seven days is a rather large window, but most people tend to see symptoms within approximately five days.  Some people never catch it.  Some people will catch the virus, but will experience no symptoms.  Often times, someone won’t experience symptoms for years after exposure. 

The herpes simplex virus is passed from skin-to-skin contact.  It easily enters through mucus membranes, which is the moist skin which lines the mouth and genital area.  It also may enter through a cut or break in the skin on other parts of the body.  If it enters the finger, it’s called a whitlow. 

The virus can be passed to another individual whenever the virus is present on the skin surface. 

Only people who don’t carry the virus can catch it.  Seven in ten adults already carry herpes simplex virus type 1 and one in ten already carry type 2. 

After the first episode, you will not spread the virus to other parts of your body.  In new cases, the virus is typically limited to one part of the body, although some people do catch it in two places. 

Partners who have the same virus do not have to worry about re-infecting each other.  You cannot pass the virus onto your sexual partner if the virus is dormant. 

Condoms can help prevent passing the virus back and forth.  Make sure you put a condom on the penis  before having sexual intercourse.  If the virus is present and active on the skin outside of the area that’s protected by the condom, transmission is still possible. 

Herpes can be passed back and forth between the mouth and the genital area, so be aware of this during sex when one or both of you suffers from the herpes virus. 

The fact is, not everyone knows they have it.  2 out of 3 people contract genital herpes by having sexual intercourse with someone who doesn’t know they have it.

Tags: genital herpes, genital sores, genital warts, herpes symptoms, herpes virus, sexual transmission, sexually transmitted diseases, viral infection

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