Health Blog

Unprotected sexual contact with a partner infected with active virus is the main cause of genital herpes. Besides vaginal intercourse, oral sex and anal sex, a simple skin-to-skin contact with the area of the body containing active genital herpes virus is enough for the transmission of the virus. This high probability of transmission makes it very difficult to prevent the infection from spreading. Suppressing the virus is the only solution to treat genital herpes condition. The herpes simplex virus is highly volatile but usually it remains dormant in almost 80% of the hosts. It can show symptoms within days or might not show symptoms for years. This unpredictable nature of the virus is a benefit as well as a disadvantage in its own right.

The virus spreads majorly through skin-to-skin contact. The common symptoms include pain during urination, vaginal discharge, red watery blisters, ulcers on the genitals and fever. These are the common symptoms of the first outbreak, later outbreaks can produce red sores, itching and burning sensation. The exact cause of trigger of genital virus into active state is not known but certain common factors include excessive alcohol consumption, tiredness, fatigue, anxiety, stress and friction around genital areas. Famvir and Valtrex are effective treatments known to clear the symptoms and prevent further outbreaks. A few infected people can have frequent outbreaks while some might not suffer a second outbreak at all. Usually, the severity of outbreaks reduces gradually. The outbreaks also reduce over time and the virus moves into the dormant state.