Is herpes always a sexually
transmitted infection? Is it only for aam janta or can famous people get
it too? What happens when you get it? How much else do you know (or need to know?) Try these five questions!
Actor Robin Williams was alleged to have herpes. Why did his ex-girlfriend sue him for it in 1986?
Correct!
1) If you know you have an STI, then you are duty-bound to tell your sexual partner(s) about it and use protection so that you don’t pass it on. Whether an STI is life-threatening or not, they still require treatment and some can be lifelong.
It isn’t just US law that allows you to prosecute someone for knowingly giving someone an STI or putting them at risk of getting one (though you can read more about this in the New York Times’ reporting on the Robin Williams’ case). As far back as 2006, an Indian woman sued her husband for deliberately concealing the fact that he had an STI, which was diagnosed before they were married.
Incorrect!
1) If you know you have an STI, then you are duty-bound to tell your sexual partner(s) about it and use protection so that you don’t pass it on. Whether an STI is life-threatening or not, they still require treatment and some can be lifelong.
It isn’t just US law that allows you to prosecute someone for knowingly giving someone an STI or putting them at risk of getting one (though you can read more about this in the New York Times’ reporting on the Robin Williams’ case). As far back as 2006, an Indian woman sued her husband for deliberately concealing the fact that he had an STI, which was diagnosed before they were married.
What causes herpes?
Correct!
4) Herpes is caused by two types of virus, the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2). It is spread through skin-to-skin contact, unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex, and in rare cases, from mother to child during delivery.
Incorrect!
4) Herpes is caused by two types of virus, the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) and Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2). It is spread through skin-to-skin contact, unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex, and in rare cases, from mother to child during delivery.
If you have herpes, does it 100% mean that you have an STI?
Correct!
2) HSV-1, sometimes called oral herpes is mostly transmitted through mouth-to-mouth contact and causes cold sores or ulcers in and around the mouth. It is highly contagious and usually not an STI. But it can also be transmitted to the genital area during oral sex. In 2012, WHO estimated that 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 had it.
HSV-2, also known as genital herpes, is almost exclusively sexually transmitted, infecting the genital and anal area and can cause sores/ulcers in this region. In 2012, an estimated 417 million people across the world had it.
If you already have HSV-1, you cannot get it again, but you are still at risk of getting HSV-2.
Incorrect!
2) HSV-1, sometimes called oral herpes is mostly transmitted through mouth-to-mouth contact and causes cold sores or ulcers in and around the mouth. It is highly contagious and usually not an STI. But it can also be transmitted to the genital area during oral sex. In 2012, WHO estimated that 3.7 billion people under the age of 50 had it.
HSV-2, also known as genital herpes, is almost exclusively sexually transmitted, infecting the genital and anal area and can cause sores/ulcers in this region. In 2012, an estimated 417 million people across the world had it.
If you already have HSV-1, you cannot get it again, but you are still at risk of getting HSV-2.
Is it possible for you to have herpes and not know it?
Correct!
5) The primary symptom of herpes is sores, and the greatest risk of transmission is from active sores. However, oral and genital herpes often have no symptoms, or mild symptoms that go unrecognised.
Genital herpes cannot be detected through a blood test. Tests are usually only recommended if there are symptoms, and involve testing a swab of a sore.
More women are infected with genital herpes than men – according to WHO, this is because sexual transmission of HSV is more efficient from men to women than it is from women to men.
Incorrect!
5) The primary symptom of herpes is sores, and the greatest risk of transmission is from active sores. However, oral and genital herpes often have no symptoms, or mild symptoms that go unrecognised.
Genital herpes cannot be detected through a blood test. Tests are usually only recommended if there are symptoms, and involve testing a swab of a sore.
More women are infected with genital herpes than men – according to WHO, this is because sexual transmission of HSV is more efficient from men to women than it is from women to men.
Can herpes be cured?
Correct!
3) Once you have herpes, you have it forever. Antiviral medications may reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms, but they cannot be cured.
The good news is that herpes can be uncomfortable, painful and annoying, but it is rarely life-threatening. It is only severe in people who already have a compromised immune system, such as those with advanced HIV, and in rare cases herpes can lead to more serious complications like hepatitis and meningoencephalitis.
Want to hear more about what it’s like to have herpes? Read this lovely piece on AOI: I Felt Humiliated for Contracting an STI But I Know I’m Touchable, Lovable and More-Than-Sexable
Incorrect!
3) Once you have herpes, you have it forever. Antiviral medications may reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms, but they cannot be cured.
The good news is that herpes can be uncomfortable, painful and annoying, but it is rarely life-threatening. It is only severe in people who already have a compromised immune system, such as those with advanced HIV, and in rare cases herpes can lead to more serious complications like hepatitis and meningoencephalitis.
Want to hear more about what it’s like to have herpes? Read this lovely piece on AOI: I Felt Humiliated for Contracting an STI But I Know I’m Touchable, Lovable and More-Than-Sexable
