Posted on March 1, 2010.
Some facts about herpes For most people the word "herpes" conjures an image of genital herpes, the incurable virus that spreads through sexual contact and causes blisters on the genitals. But herpes is actually a family of viruses that is extremely widespread and can cause a number of conditions that affect the skin, mouth, eyes, brain or, in rare cases the whole body.
Some estimates suggest that the greatest number of May 1 to 6 people has some form of herpes virus in their bodies, whether active or inactive.
The forms of the herpes virus, including herpes simplex type 1 (herpes labialis), herpes simplex type 2 (genital herpes), varicella (chickenpox), cytomegalovirus (mild hepatitis), viruses of Epstein-Barr (mononucleosis) and herpes zoster (shingles). All these conditions are caused by viruses of the herpes family.
Two similar conditions, herpes Gestationis and dermatitis herpetiformis, both produce herpes type blisters on the skin but are not related to or caused by one of several herpes viruses.
Many diseases that are caused by the herpes virus in May are very different from each other, but they all share some common traits:
They are generally very contagious.
The virus can survive in latent for long periods of time after the initial infection.
They are not curable. (However, there are effective treatments that can make the virus inactive, even in genital herpes) estimated that nearly 30 million Americans are infected by herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) and despite many studies over the years, it has been little success in developing a cure or vaccine against it.
Most of the herpes virus in the family do not recur after the first outbreak, such as chickenpox, for example. But all the herpes virus when they are not active, remain dormant in your body, hidden in nerve tissue and avoid detection by the immune system.
It is unclear exactly how and why an outbreak of latent herpes virus infection in a sudden force, but we know that some stress immune system seem to be an outbreak. These stresses can only lead to outbreaks of diseases, injuries, emotional stress, poor diet, overexposure to sunlight, and even rules.
An immune system appears to reduce the recurrence of epidemics, although outbreaks continue in May to life. Studies show that chickenpox and shingles have a recurrence of nearly zero while HSV-1 has a recurrence rate of 14 per cent and herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) has a rate recidivism by 60 percent.
It is the HSV-2 as the most common cause of genital infections and HSV-1 most cases, lips causes an infection, but both viruses can be transmitted from one place to another.
Studies have also shown that herpes lesions can also provide data for other infections. Women who have herpes are at increased risk of cancer of the cervix and it is important that women who took the herpes to have a cervical smear (Pap test) every one or two years.
Whether you have been diagnosed with a form of herpes or not, practicing common sense prevention can go a long way in the fight against the spread of herpes. For instance, avoid kissing people who currently have sores on the lips or mouth. Always practice safe sex in monogamous relationships and avoid sexual contact with someone who has symptoms of an outbreak of genital herpes active until the symptoms have disappeared. While most but not all, male genital herpes outbreaks are easily detected, female genital herpes outbreaks may go completely unnoticed on several occasions. In fact, many women with genital herpes are unaware they have contracted the virus until they have passed to a partner.
Using a condom or May can not prevent the spread of herpes virus from one partner to another, if one partner has an advantage at home or not, So, although us.
