Herpes

Herpes is a virus that can spread from one person to person through skin-to-skin contact. It can appear on many different areas of the body and is typically marked by an eruption of a cluster of blisters, although some people show very mild or no symptoms at all.

Viral skin disease: a viral infection causing small painful blisters and inflammation, most commonly at the junction of skin and mucous membrane in the mouth or nose or in the genitals.

1. Herpes is caused by a virus.
2. Herpes simplex virus(HSV) causes herpes.This virus has 2 types,HSV 1 and HSV 2.
• HSV 1 (oral herpes) usually causes infections on the lips or mouth (cold sores or fever blisters).
• HSV 2 (genital herpes) usually causes sores and blisters in the genital area.

However, virus from the mouth can infect the genitals and virus from the genitals can infect the mouth.
Herpes virus can also infect other parts of the body.
Both viruses can live inside nerve cells and cause symptoms that occur again and again.

Almost everyone has had HSV 1.
Fifty to 90% of adults have had HSV 1 infection.
Infections in children are often mild or cause no symptoms at all.
Even if you have had HSV 1, you can still catch HSV 2.

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