Herpes is an infection known as Herpes Simplex Virus. It causes inflammation or swelling inside or around genital area or mouth. It can be contagious even if you don’t have visible symptoms. There is no specific age of getting herpes; it can infect anyone who would get in contact with it. They come and go but the virus lives inside the body forever. It becomes active time to time, therefore it causes very painful infection and can be spread very easily.
People with herpes live a normal life, they also have normal relationships, but only because they are getting it treated by doctors or through medications punctually so they do not infect the other person with herpes.
Causes:
There are 2 types of herpes, HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 causes through skin to skin contact and it causes cold sores and fever blisters around your mouth whereas, HSV-2 which is commonly called genital herpes, whose virus spreads through sexual contact.
Herpes is a virus that you have in your body and it symptom occurs but you will never know when it will appear on skin and how much it will effect. Scientist could not discover how the virus is welcomed in your body. There are few ways in which an infected person can infect others.
Herpes can cause through sexual intimacy. When a person with oral herpes kisses another person, there are many chances for the other person to get infected with this virus. And same is the case is for a person with genital herpes who gets physical with their partners.
It’s not always the sexual intimacy that causes herpes; it can infect a new born baby if the mother has genital herpes as the baby will get in contact with it.
Herpes is a very common infection and easily infected to anyone who touches the infected area, even you. It can spread from one part to another too if you touch the inflamed herpes and then your mouth or genital area without washing your hands. In the same way it can infect other people too.
Symptoms:
Most people don’t know that they are infected with herpes because some herpes do not show any symptom or there are very few symptoms that mostly people ignore it with other normal medical problems. The symptoms can be different for different people, but some of the common symptoms are:
- Pain and itching and tingling around the area which would make it very uncomfortable to walk or sit sometimes.
- Appearance of small red or white blisters, which cause pain.
- Ulcers can be formed when the blister bleeds or the liquid inside just oozes out.
- Blisters inside urethra can be very painful and it will be painful to urinate.
- There will be wound or discoloration until the ulcer doesn’t heal.
- Headaches
- Backaches
- Irritation, annoyed, mood swings will occur.
Diagnosis
The most common diagnosis that is done for herpes is by PCR test. PCR test sees for pieces of simplex virus’s DNA from a sample that a doctor takes to take it in laboratory and test single cell or fluid. PCR tests tell you about genital herpes specifically, but there are many times or 2/10 people in the world who misdiagnose herpes as yeast, fungal infection or any other sort of skin problem. The test itself doesn’t give accurate information about the herpes. It fails 25% of the time to give the true result.
Treatment and Prevention
Herpes should be treated in any case or otherwise it creates a lot of embarrassments as it keeps growing on skin and health gets worse. According to the studies, there is no cure of herpes; it stays with you for the rest of your life. Despite all this, doctors have come up with temporary solutions. Scientist have made antiviral drugs that can cure herpes for a short while that even if you get in contact with another person sexually or otherwise, it will not infect other person. These medications also reduce the effects of symptoms and ease a lot of pain temporarily.
- Antiviral medicines
- Sea Water
The most important thing you can do is keep your self-hygiene under full control.
- Keep toilet seats clean. When you sit on the seat it might have a lot of germs on it which can affect your hygiene.
- Keep your towels and soaps separate from other people in the house.
- Wear lose clothes, specifically pants. By wearing breathable and comfortable pants it can keep the area away from uncomfortable germs or tightness around the area.
- Use mild cleansers to wash the infected area.
- Change clothes almost every day. If you wear 1 clothing for more than 2 days. It can affect your skin because of the the sweat germs and unclean clothes.
- Sexual contact should be completely avoided when the blisters outbreak in genital area.
- Latex condoms should be used during every sexual contact. It would prevent the other person from herpes.
- In pregnancy, women should take antiviral medication as prescribed by doctor, so while delivery the kid doesn’t get infected by it. Or in any case of sensitive circumstances where you cannot have medication then the doctor should suggest C-section.