Genital Herpes

Herpes is a well-known sexually transmitted disease that leads to painful blisters on the genital area or the lip. It is a viral disease caused by herpes virus Type 1 and Herpes Virus Type 2. The former often causes lip herpes while the latter causes genital herpes. Lip herpes infection is the most common type of herpes, while genital herpes infection is not so common. The only catch to getting infected with the herpes virus is that anybody who gets infected will have the disease for life.

How is herpes transmitted?

Genital herpes gets transmitted during unprotected sexual intercourse through mucous membranes. Once a person is infected with the herpes virus, they become contagious right away, even if they are yet to experience any symptoms.

What are the symptoms of Genital Herpes?

Genital herpes, in most cases, does not have any symptoms. A large number – about 80 percent – of people who have genital herpes are not aware that they have it. Some of the symptoms of genital herpes are small itchy, painful blisters, and sores around the genitals. There may also be swollen lymph nodes around the groin area. Women infected with herpes may find it difficult to urinate and may have mild headaches and fever. Once all these symptoms are very obvious, the patient should be admitted into a hospital.

How to diagnose Herpes

An infected patient should get a diagnosis from a doctor who tests for the infection by taking a sample of the sores or blisters around the genital area. This sample will then be forwarded to a laboratory for further analysis. You can also check for herpes virus infection using a herpes test kit at home, and you get the result in a few minutes.

How to treat herpes

Herpes is a very painful infection, so the best way to treat it is to use an analgesic (painkiller). Herpes cannot be cured permanently, but if a person has serious outbreaks, they can treat it by using antiviral drugs like Valtrex® or Acyclovir. Some people experience herpes outbreaks multiple times in a year, which can be painful and frustrating. These people might get a prescription of Valtrex® to be used daily so that new outbreaks do not occur.

How to prevent herpes

Genital herpes is transmitted sexually; therefore, the best method of prevention is to use condoms during sex or abstain from sexual intercourse totally.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525769/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5177552/