Ok so l got confused with all the HSV 1 and 2 stuff. Is that herpes? Can you spread it to family members by sharing drinks or giving kisses? l just get confused, did not know much to begin with. Thought it would be a sure A but now l find myself perplexed. Someone please help break it down for me.

herpes.com.au

l suffer cold sores and yes they are very contagious.You can spread them from kissing yes.

Herpes is a virus that consists of seven strands.

The Epstein Barr virus, Mono, Chicken pox, shingles, oral herpes (cold sores on the mouth) & genital herpes, all belong to the herpes family.

HSV 1 infects over 80-90% of America is population. HSV 1 can be spread by sharing drinks, toothbrushes, kissing, using the same eating utensils etc.

HSV 2 is commonly known as genital herpes & over 25% of the American population has genital herpes. Genital herpes is spread by skin to skin contact, & can be spread by wet towels, underwear etc.

This is a good place to start:

http://startthetalk.com

If you have questions that are not answered still, feel free to email me.

In addition to some earlier .

Hsv-1 & hsv-2 r two closely related herpes viruses that r almost identical. The symptoms of both r absolutely identical. Neither virus is more severe or more of a health problem than the other.

The difference between them is the place on ur body they most like to infect. Or perhaps that is a bad description - they r both happy to infect either area - they do not dscriminate about where they infect. What differs is how infectious they r once u r infected, & how often u get recurrences, or 'outbreaks'.

Hsv-1 is stronger on the mouth than it is on the genitals, because it is 'better adapted' to the mouth.

Orally, hsv-1 is infectious about 18% of the time, & causes an average of 6 outbreaks a year.

Genitally, hsv-1 is infectious about 3-4% of the time & causes on average one outbreak every 2 years.

Hsv-2 is 'better adapted' to the genitals.

Genitally, hsv-2 is infectious about 16% of the time, & causes on average 6 outbreaks a year.

Orally, hsv-2 is not a powerful virus. While happy to infect the mouth, once there it is very weak. It is only infectious less than 1% of the time & normally never causes a second outbreak after the first.

Hsv-1 infects about 60% of young people, 80% of the general population & 95% of us by age 50.

Hsv-2 is carried by - depending on the demographic u r looking at - 25-55% of US adults.

Hsv-1 causes MOST oral herpes. It is thought to cause about 95% of oral cold sores (otherwise known as oubreaks of oral herpes). The other 5% of oral herpes infections r caused by hsv-2.

Genital herpes, on the other hand, is caused by a pretty even split between the two viruses. Hsv-1 (the oral herpes virus) now causes 50-70% of new genital herpes infections, while hsv-2 causes 30-50% of genital herpes infections.

If u have oral herpes, u can give ur family oral herpes by kissing them while u r infectious. You r most infectious when u have a cold sore, but r also sometimes infectious with no symptoms. Parents often give their children oral herpes by kissing them when they r small. It is much more unlikely to pass it by sharing drinks.

If u have oral herpes, u can also give ur sexual partner genital herpes by performing oral sex on them. If u do give them genital herpes this way, they will have the same type of herpes on their genitals that u have on the mouth.

If u have hsv-1 on the mouth, they will catch genital hsv-1.
If u have hsv-2 on the mouth, they will catch genital hsv-2.

The number, as before, does not refer to the location, but to the virus itself - so u can have either hsv-1 or hsv-2 genitally.

As for genital herpes, well if u have intercourse with ur partner, u can give them genital herpes, & if u let them give u oral sex, they may catch oral herpes.

If u have herpes, u r only infectious from the original area of infection. So if u caught it genitally, only ur genitals r infectious. If u caught it orally, only ur mouth can be infectious (unless of course u have two separate herpes infections one in each area).

Genital herpes hsv-2 is no more infectious & no more likely to be spread between outbreaks than is oral hsv-1. In fact, in order of severity in terms of how infectious they r & how often they recur, oral hsv-1 is the worst, followed by genital hsv-2, then genital hsv-1, with oral hsv-2 being the mildest.

All forms of herpes can occasionally be spread between symptoms when u r not aware u r infectious. It is known as 'asymptomatic shedding' of the virus.

Symptoms of oral & genital herpes, whichever virus they r caused by, r identical. No one is worse than the other. A genital herpes outbreak looks exactly like an oral cold sore, no more or less severe.

Once u have an established infection with one herpes virus, u r unlikely to get the same virus in another part of ur body. This is because u start producing antibodies to that virus. For example, if u have oral hsv-1 & have had it a few months, u r very unlikely to catch genital hsv-1, but u can still catch genital hsv-2.

If ur partner has herpes, be it oral or genital, it is not automatic that u will get it if u kiss them or have intercourse with them when they do not have symptoms. The risk with genital hsv-2 is about a 10% chance of catching it over a full year of regular unprotected sex, when symptoms r not present. You might be unlucky & catch it early in the relationship, or u could be with them several years before u catch it. You might never catch it. My boyfriend had oral hsv-1 & it took me seven years to catch it.

For genital herpes, condoms reduce the risk of spreading the virus by up to 50%. It is not full protection because herpes is spread skin to skin, not in bodily fluids, & condoms can not cover all the skin.

Taking antiviral drugs such as valtrex reduces the risk of spreading the virus by about 50% by inhibiting the virus.

Oral sex is not a low-risk sexual activity. When it comes to genital herpes it is as high risk as unprotected intercourse.

80% of people with any form of herpes r unaware of their infection. They may have very mild symptoms, or they may have none at all. Many have none at all.

Hope that all helps. For more info see http://herpes.org.uk/faq.html

HSV1 reffers to oral herpesSV2 reffers to genital herpes, both types r contagious. They r different strains of the same herpes virus.
Oral herpes symptoms r usually itching, burning & or tingling sensations all at one spot on or around the mouth. This type if u have an active cold sore (which is what oral herpes r also fever blisters is another type) can be spread to other family members mainly by kissing them on the cheek. Sharing utensils, cups, chap stick or cigcigarettesn also pass oral herpes but it usually likes skin to skin contact.

HSV2 or genital herpes usually likes to live & occur on the genitals.This type u CAN NOT pass through kissing (unless they have genital herpes on the mouth, but that is not too common), using the same toilet, using personal toiletries. This type is usually passed on through skin to skin contact usually during sexual activity. Symptoms for genital herpes usually include flu like symptoms, itching, burning & or tingling sensation under the skin of the genitals, swollen genitals, burning or trouble peeing, blisters, sores or cut like things appear on the genitals, thighs or buttocks.

Both types of herpes can remain dormant in ur body for a long time after u have contracted herpes of either type. Herpes can be tested by getting a swab test done of an out break or by blood test (which is not all that accurate).
If u want to do more research, wikipedea.com. mayoclinic.com & webmd.com r good places to start.
l have oral herpes on my mouth & genitals plus genital herpes.