Category Blog What is Herpes?
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Herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by a virus called the Herpes Simplex Virus. It is passed from person-to-person by contact with infected skin. There are several strains of the herpes virus, two of these strains commonly cause Herpes. You can have Oral Herpes (on the lips, most often 'cold sores'), Genital Herpes (on the genitals) or non-genital herpes (herpes on other parts of the body; most often 'shingles'). Shingles is not sexually transmitted. It is a secondary event long after the initial infection with common 'chicken pox'.
You can get Oral Herpes (HSV-1) by kissing a person with an oral (mouth) infection, by having oral sex with somebody who is infected, or by any skin-to-skin, saliva-to-skin, or lesion-to-skin contact involving an infected area. You can also get Genital Herpes (HSV-2) by having unprotected sex (vaginal, oral, or anal) with someone who already has it.
After a first outbreak of Herpes, the virus stays in the body for life. Some people do not have any further episodes or symptoms of herpes. This is called an inactive infection, when the virus is hidden in the body and not infectious.
However, the symptoms of genital herpes do recur in some people. These outbreaks tend to be milder and heal faster than the first outbreak. This is called an active infection.
The active period may be obvious, with symptoms, or it may not. It is possible that symptoms are not obvious, or not present at all, but skin cells are shedding the virus during an active phase. This "viral shedding" may be potentially infectious to others if sexual contact occurs.