Genital herpes can spread despite lack of symptoms; endangering others

[sharon sanders]

Genital herpes can spread despite lack of symptoms; STD may still be 'shed', endangering partner

By Lindsay Goldwert
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, April 13th 2011, 11:56 AM


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Although it's unclear how much virus is needed to infect someone else, Johnston said, the amount of virus shed in the absence of sores was the same for people with and without symptoms.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyl..._may_still_be_shred_endang.html#ixzz1JRIPNjZv

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[sharon sanders]

Re: Genital herpes can spread despite lack of symptoms; endangering others

Genital herpes can spread to the mouth, eyes, tongue... after touching an infected blister in the genital area.

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Many people with HSV-2 infection never have sores, or they have very mild symptoms that they do not even notice or mistake for insect bites or another skin condition.


If signs and symptoms do occur during the first outbreak, they can be quite severe. This first outbreak usually happens within 2 weeks of being infected.


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Genital symptoms include the appearance of small, painful blisters filled with clear or straw-colored fluid. They are usually found:

• In women: on the outer vaginal lips (labia), vagina, cervix, around the anus, and on the thighs or buttocks
• In men: on the penis, scrotum, around the anus, on the thighs or buttocks
• In both sexes: on the tongue, mouth, eyes, gums, lips, fingers, and other parts of the body
• Before the blisters appear, the person may feel the skin tingling, burning, itching, or have pain at the site where the blisters will appear
• When the blisters break, they leave shallow ulcers that are very painful. These ulcers eventually crust over and slowly heal over 7 - 14 days or more

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000857.htm