When are You at Risk of Having Genital Herpes?
Genital herpes is a common viral infection that is transmitted via sexual or close contact with a person who already has the disease. The cause, HSV or herpes simplex virus, is rarely transmitted by objects such as toilet bowls. The main characteristic of the HSV that allows it to infect many people, especially women, is that it is passed through open skin (wounds, sores or breaks) and on mucus, that liquid produced by mucous membranes to moisten and supposedly protect certain organs of the body.
Therefore, it is possible that virus will be passed from the genital to the lips to form cold sores (called herpes labialis), or from the lips to the genitals. The virus can also enter moist areas such as the mouth, anus, and vagina. Needless to say, kissing lips with sores, no matter how sweet that would sound, can be disastrous for you. There are also many cases in which a mother with a primary outbreak infects her newborn when the delivery is through the vagina.
A child found to be infected by HSV must be examined carefully by a doctor since there is a possibility that the child may have been sexually abused by an adult with genital herpes.
There are lifestyles that increase the risk of acquiring genital herpes. Foremost among these is having multiple sex partners. It is impossible to tell visually if a sex partner has genital herpes or not, since many people with HSV may never show the characteristic blisters. These people only pass the herpes virus through a process called asymptomatic (no symptoms) shedding.
Even if you only have one sex partner, you will still risk having genital herpes, when your particular partner has several sex partners other than you. Unprotected sexual contact, may also increase the risk. Condoms are relatively effective tools in protecting oneself from many sexually transmitted diseases. Not using condoms is safe only if you and your sex partner are in a monogamous relationship, and that both of you have no herpes history.
With the way the virus is transmitted, it is also risky to have either anal or oral sex with a partner, whose whole health condition is unknown to you. This is why “sex workers” are more at risk than any other type of profession.
If you already know that you have genital herpes, the chances of having recurrent outbreaks increase when you are under emotional stress or undergoing other infections such as the flu. Fatigue, physical injury, and any condition that weakens the immune system (such as HIV infection) could trigger another herpes outbreak.