Is it possible to just 'get' herpes?

Question

I know it's sexually transmitted, but can't it only be transmitted if your partner has it? Can you get it in the same way you get a cold?

Answer 1

Herpes doesn't just "appear" or it caught like a common cold.

A person has to have the virus in order to spread it to someone else. Herpes is spread by sex (vaginal, oral, or anal), or by any kind of DIRECT skin to skin contact with the infected area of someone who has it.

It can also VERY rarely be transmitted through birth if the mother is having an outbreak at the time of delivery.

Take care!

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

HSV-1 and HSV-2 can be found in and released from the sores that the viruses cause, but they also are released between outbreaks from skin that does not appear to be broken or to have a sore. Generally, a person can only get HSV-2 infection during sexual contact with someone who has a genital HSV-2 infection. Transmission can occur from an infected partner who does not have a visible sore and may not know that he or she is infected.

HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, but it more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips, so-called "fever blisters." HSV-1 infection of the genitals can be caused by oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who has HSV-1 infection. Genital HSV-1 outbreaks recur less regularly than genital HSV-2 outbreaks.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm#Howspread

also.......
Neonatal herpes is not a reportable disease in most states, so there are no hard statistics on the number of cases nationwide. However, most researchers estimate between 1,000 and 3,000 cases a year in the United States, out of a total of 4 million births. To put this in greater perspective, an estimated 20-25% of pregnant women have genital herpes, while less than 0.1% of babies contract an infection. "Neonatal herpes is a remarkably rare event", says Zane Brown, MD, an expert on neonatal herpes and a member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington. "Compared to all the other possible risks in a pregnancy, the risk of neonatal herpes is extremely small."
http://www.herpes.com/pregnancy.shtml

Answer 4

If we are talking genital herpes, you are going to get it one of three ways:

-through having intercourse or genital to genital contact with someone with genital herpes
-through receiving oral sex form someone who gets cold sores on their mouth
-very very VERY rarely, through auto-innoculation, i.e. you get a cold sore on your mouth, touch your genitals and develop genital hepres of the same kind you get on your mouth. Normally your own antibodies protect you against this so you would have to be very unlucky.

There has never been documented evidence of someone catching herpes from an inanimate object, and you can't just 'get' it. It is possible that the herpes infection can be transfered to the baby in the birth canal - but if this happens it doesn't cause genital herpes, but a systemic infection (neonatal herpes) which is very serious and from which up to half infected babies die. This in itself is extremely rare.

Remember herpes can appear to come from nowhere because the vast majority of infected people, with both cold sores and genital herpes, have no symptoms and go undiagnosed, despite the fact that one in four people have genital herpes and eight in ten have oral herpes. Herpes can also be transmitted when your partner has no symptoms.

Answer 5

There are several types of herpes virus species (herpes zoster, herpes simplex I (HSV-1), HSV-2) that are transmitted through different mechanisms. Herpes zoster causes a condition called shingles.

When most peoples talk about herpes, they are talking about HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-2 is the virus that usually causes genital herpes, an STD. HSV-2 does not survive for long outside of the body, so it is very, very difficult to contract the virus through toilet seats, towels, clothes, etc. that have been used by the infected person.

One of the biggest misconceptions about HSV-2 is that you can only spread it when you are having an outbreak (sores). This is not true, You can shed the virus without body fluid contact, so you cannot tell a person is 'safe' by just looking, so please use barrier methods to protect yourself.

Answer 6

Actually Herpes virus causes cold sores and yes it can be transfered to the genitals.If someone with an active cold sore touches it then say used the restroom , it can be transfered ..Best way to avoid that is to keep hands away from cold sore and wash hands frequently !

Answer 7

I know that it can be get from kisses too,it hasn´t cure but really can be treat by some medicines drugs,if someone had gotten it may take the right advices to not go havig some hard times.

Answer 8

it's either passed down from your parents or you come in contact with it from a partner who's a carrier. if you come in contact with someone with it, you will usually break out within the first to 30th day.. if you come down with any bumps or sores down there, get them checked immediately to see. the herpes test isn't accurate unless they are checked while the sores are open. if you get checked after they are healed, the test will come back negative. make sure you get an accurate test so you know for sure if you do or do not have them.

Answer 9

It's something that you get from contact, usually sexual. It then goes into your body as a virus. Sometimes people have it and don't even know it because they've never had a breakout, or confused their breakouts as something else.

Although there are medications that help reduce breakouts, there is no "cure".

Answer 10

No.unless yr partner has it and it can be trnsmitted thru sexual intercourse.Once u can it, there's no cure.Be safe and practice safe sex