| An Overview |
| Written by Patricia Conley | |
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A sexually transmitted disease, genital herpes enters the boy as the herpes simplex virus through tiny breaks in the skin or mucous membranes. Common symptoms of the disease include itching, lesions and sores and pain in the genital area. There is no cure for genital herpes, but treatment can mitigate the symptoms of the illness and decrease the frequency of herpes outbreaks. There are two types of virus that can cause genital herpes, the HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses. The HSV-1 virus more commonly causes cold sores, but in some cases can cause genital herpes. The HSV-2 virus causes the vast majority of genital herpes cases, and is most commonly transmitted through skin to skin contact during sex. The herpes virus tends to die quickly when its outside the body, so it's nearly impossible to get the virus from contact with toilets, clothing or objects used by an infected person. The most common symptom of herpes are recurring outbreaks of boils or lesions in the genital area. These outbreaks vary greatly from person to person, with some people getting outbreaks so mild and infrequent that they never know that they have genital herpes. In fact, nearly 60 percent of people with herpes don't know that they're infected. Others get frequent and painful outbreaks several times per year. The first herpes outbreak tends to be the harshest, although some are so mild that the infected person never notices it. The herpes outbreak tends to be a cluster of vesicles on a red base. In moist areas of the genitals, particularly the vagina, the herpes virus may cause ulcerations instead of blisters. Among infected women, the initial herpes outbreak can occur in a variety of places, including the vagina, the urethra, the cervix, the anus, thighs or buttocks. Men tend to get an outbreak on the head of the penis or along the shaft. Homosexual men who engage in anal sex may get lesions in or around the anus. The first herpes outbreak can last for up to 20 days. The initial outbreak usually occurs between two days and two weeks after the infected person gets the virus. Subsequent outbreaks can happen as rarely as once every few years or as often as every month. Most commonly, people with herpes have about four outbreaks per year. The outbreaks usually begin with a tingling or itching which later develops into the appearance of painful sores or lesions. The sores tend to start out red and then turn whitish-yellow. Once the sores burst, they leave painful ulcers that later dry and scab over within a little more than a week. Sometimes an outbreak is accompanied by mild fever and a sense of fatigue. There are a variety of external factors that can cause a herpes outbreak. These external factors can include stress, fatigue, steroid use, other illnesses, diet and certain foods. The herpes virus is incurable, largely because it often goes dormant in the nerve cells before becoming active again during an outbreak. While herpes is incurable, there are some pharmaceutical treatments that can lessen the severity of the disease's symptoms. Most of the drug treatments for herpes involve medications that slow down the replication of the virus when its active. Therapy is usually either suppressive or intermittent, meaning that drugs are either taken to reduce the frequency of outbreaks or the severity of symptoms when an outbreak occurs. Suppressive therapy is most successful if it's begun shortly after the infected person catches the virus. These treatments do not prevent the transmission of herpes, so people infected with the herpes virus must take precautions to avoid spreading it to others. When having a herpes outbreak, infected persons should refrain from sex, as the disease is at its most contagious during an outbreak. Infected persons should also use condoms in all sexual encounters to avoid infecting others. While herpes can be uncomfortable and can also cause considerable psychological trauma because of the stigma attached to it, people with herpes can have high quality of life thanks to treatments available to them. If you think you have herpes, you should get tested by a health care provider so you can begin therapy and take precautions to avoid spreading it to others. |
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