Genital Herpes Facts

Genital herpes is very common among American people. Genital herpes is usually transmitted from one person to another through having sexual contact with an infected person.

One of the common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States is genital herpes. Genital herpes is usually caused by a virus called the herpes simplex virus or HSV. Herpes simplex viruses are categorized into two: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Commonly, the HSV-2 is the cause of genital herpes.

Most people infected by genital herpes will experience few symptoms or none at all. The usual symptoms of genital herpes infection are the appearance of some blisters around or on the genital area and/or rectum. On the first outbreakStages of genital herpes, the blisters will break open and they will become skin ulcers or sores that will usually heal within two to four weeks.

Ideally, another genital herpes outbreak will occur within weeks or even months after the first one but the succeeding outbreaks are mostly shorter and also less severe compared to the first one. Even if the genital herpes infection can remain in a person's body for an indefinite period of time, the frequency of outbreaks will usually lessen as years pass by.

Studies show that infections caused by genital herpes is really common among the people of the United States. Approximately more than 45 million people in the United States aging from 12 and above are experiencing genital herpes infection. Over the years, the percentage of American people who are genital herpes infected is declining slowly but steadily.

Genital herpes is mostly common among women than among men. The major reason is that the transmission of genital herpes is more possible from men to women than from women to men.

The herpes simplex viruses are commonly found in the blisters and are released when the blisters break open and become sores. When a skin to skin contact happens between an infected person and uninfected person during a genital herpes outbreak, more likely the uninfected person will become infected because a virus transmission will usually occur. But there are instances that even if there are no skin sores, the herpes simplex viruses can still be transmitted to another person.

Genital herpes that is caused by HSV-2 can only be transmitted through sexual contact between an infected person and an uninfected person. Transmission of genital herpes will happen even if the infected person doesn't have any manifestations of skin blisters and sores.

The HSV-1 can also cause genital herpes but mostly the infection is on the mouth and lips that is commonly called as 'fever blisters'. HSV-1 infections can also occur in the genital area through the oral to genital contact or genital to genital contact with a person with HSV-1 infection. Genital herpes outbreaks of HSV-1 are less frequent than HSV-2.