Herpes Facts

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Getting Tested For Herpes: The Real Procedures

Probably one of the toughest moments could be waiting for your doctor to diagnose you with herpes, determined with the help of certain tests. Although it is possible to notice certain clear signs of herpes and understanding that you have contracted it. However, just to be on the safe side, if you, your partner or someone close to you is worried about having herpes, it is best to approach medical experts, i.e. the doctors, and get tested for the disease. Furthermore, you must understand the fact that several people have the disease without ever showing signs of it. This fact makes it risky to have blind faith in your body during having sex with many, random people.

Herpes Blood Testing

One thing that most people do not know is that just being tested for a usual STD test does not mean you are also being tested for herpes. For instance, even if your test comes back clean, you could have herpes; for finding out if you are fine, you will need to specifically ask your doctor for a herpes blood test. Unfortunately, many professionals are not too used to seeing herpes patients, which means they themselves are out-dated when it comes to actually testing you for herpes. This matter has been explained below.

Waiting Period

Even though it is understandable that you are worried thinking that you have herpes, there is no point rushing to the doctor at once. First, you must make sure that you have waited for at least 12 weeks before seeing your doctor, since it takes that long for your body to produce antibodies for herpes. If you get a herpes blood test done before that, the results may come out negative despite you having herpes.

Tests That May Not Be What You Need

  • Blood Tests for Herpes: Old blood tests could not help the doctor or the patients to identify the two different types of herpes virus. For instance, if your blood test came in positive for herpes, the doctors would not be able to tell which type it is, herpes type 1 or type 2. However, the good news is that there are new types of blood tests, all formed after the year 1999. These could distinguish the two types of herpes with ease, being 95-100% accurate. This is the reason why if your doctor happens to inform you that their hospital/clinic herpes blood tests cannot help them distinguish between the two types of herpes, you might want to consider getting yourself checked elsewhere.
  • Lab Cultures for Herpes: There are a bunch of doctors who state that the only way to figure out whether or not a patient has herpes is by taking a swab from a recent sore or blister. Although this statement was true at some point, long ago, there are now ways to diagnose patients, minus any open sore or blister. Hence, do not get fooled by such statements from doctors. Chances are, if you listen to them and assume you have no herpes just because you have not grown some blisters all over, there is a 50% chance of you having herpes at that exact moment.

Some of the Names of the Incorrect Herpes Blood Tests

  • Herpes 1-IgG, Herpes 2-IgG, Sigma
  • HSV-1 IgG ELISA, HSV-2 IgG ELISA, Wampole Labs
  • HSV-1 IgG ELISA, HSV-2 IgG ELISA, Wampole Labs
  • HSV-1 and/or HSV-2 ELISA Test System, Zeus

ASHA’s Herpes Blood Test Guide

American Association of Social Health handed out a Herpes Blood Test Guide, encouraging all doctors to take a look at it. Therefore, if you wish to get yourself tested for herpes, make sure you show the guide to your doctor. In this manner, you could pick out a worthwhile and accurate blood test for yourself that will tell you exactly what you need to know. A couple of the renowned herpes blood tests happen to be:

  • The Western Blot Test from University of Washington
  • HerpeSelect 1 & 2 Differentiation Immunoblot from Focus Diagnostics

If your specialist directs you to visit LabCorp, make sure you get one of these tests:

  • 164905: HSV-1 and HSV-2 together
  • 164905: HSV-1 and HSV-2 together
  • 163147: Captia HSV-2 ELISA

If your doctor wants you to go to Quest Diagnostics, you would want your test to be one of these:

  • 6447x: HSV-1 and HSV-2 together
  • 3636x: HerpeSelect HSV-1 ELISA
  • 3640x: HerpeSelect HSV-2 ELISA
  • 34534: Western Blot

Click here to see the full herpes testing toolkit from the American Association of Social Health.

Online Herpes Testing Services

One of the easiest ways to test yourself for herpes, online services maintain anonymity, alongside making sure that you do not have to run around to tens of places, just to get diagnosed. These online-ordered herpes tests cost from about $90-$150 each, a highly confidential matter between the provider and the potential patient.

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Top 10 Questions About Herpes Answered

Herpes could be quite a confusing condition, often accompanied and unaccompanied by a bunch of distinguishable symptoms. If you wish to understand if you have contracted it, or merely wish to learn of this ailment, take a look at the following questions and answers.

1. What is Herpes?

Herpes is a condition that is cause by the herpes simplex virus, seen as two types: oral herpes and genital herpes. The first type appears as sores or blisters around the mouth region, also known as HSV-1. The second type of herpes is also known as HSV-2, affecting the genital area. Know more about what is herpes from this post.

2. What Causes Herpes?

Herpes Questions and AnswersType 1 or oral herpes occurs due to a normal cold, often passed on when engaging in oral sex. Type 2 or genital herpes occurs due to any sexual contact, acting upon the genital regions. If you happen to share towels, cutlery, and similar materials, there is a chance of you spreading the virus to others.

3. How Common is Herpes?

Surprisingly, it is quite common, occurring in about one in six people in the United States of America. However, this is only for individuals that fall in the following age range: 15-50. Unfortunately, at least 80-90% of the people suffering from this condition do not know about it, especially because the symptoms are not always present.

4. How to Figure Out if I Have this Problem?

If you suspect yourself of having genital herpes, you could do well by visiting the doctor. If you have sores in your private region, your doctor could take samples for testing to confirm the presence or absence of the herpes simplex virus. Basically, this test is a blood test which detects the presence of antibodies for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 virus. The said antibodies are produced in the body only if you suffer from the condition.

5. Is there an Effective Cure for Herpes?

So far, no legitimate cure has been discovered for herpes. There are several entities, websites and companies that might claim to have a magical remedy or another. However, none of these claims are true. The only thing that could be done for the case of herpes is treatments for the control and prevention of outbreaks.

6. If Someone Has Herpes, Does that Mean They Also Suffer from AIDS?

That is not necessarily correct. However, people who have herpes have a higher chance of acquiring AIDS, rather than those who do not suffer from herpes. As a matter of fact, polls and surveys carried out in the United Kingdom have proved that at least 52% of the individuals suffering from herpes also happen to suffer from AIDS.

7. Can Genital Herpes Cause my Death?

No, genital herpes does not happen to be a deathly condition. However, if you happen to have contracted herpes, there are chances that you will also acquire the HIV virus, whose cure has still not been found.

8. Can Herpes Affect Me Emotionally and Socially?

You might get anxious or scared if you acquire herpes. However, these feelings are not the effects of the ailment. You could always speak to experts in the case of anxiety in order to feel at ease and to educate yourself about your condition.

9. Could I Donate Blood if I have Herpes?

According to researchers and experts, the virus is not found in the blood. Therefore, it is safe to assume that you could donate blood whenever you wish to. Click here to view the complete answer.

10. How Could I Protect Myself and my Partner from Herpes?

Probably the best method to prevent the development of genital herpes is by abstaining from sexual intercourse. Although you could delve in safe sex with the use of latex condoms, there are chances of still contracting the disease.

If you wish to prevent transmission then you would have to use separate towels and clothing. If you do wish to share materials, you could always use hot water and bleach to disinfect them first.

It is extremely important that you maintain good hygiene at all times, always remembering to wash hands and covering the sores and lesions.

Lastly, never forget that just because you cannot get involved with someone sexually, it does not mean that you cannot create a great, deep, lasting bond with him or her.

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What is Herpes: What You Need to Know about the Stigmatized STD

What Is It?

Herpes simplex viruses could be sorted into two categories: herpes type 1 and herpes type 2. Herpes type 1 is also known as oral herpes or HSV-1. On the other hand, herpes type 2 is also recognized as genital herpes or HSV-2. Oral herpes has earned its name due to the sores or blisters that appear around the mouth or inside it. Genital herpes is a condition that gets its name because of the sores that could be seen on the genitals or even the rectum.

What Causes Herpes?

Despite the paranoia about the matter, it is not possible to acquire herpes 1 or 2 by using the same toilet seat that was used by an infected person. However, it definitely is possible to get herpes 1 if you happen to share the likes of cutlery and toothbrushes with them, due to the oral secretions and sores. Herpes 2 generally spreads when one has any sort of sexual contact with a patient. Also, there are many people who have a dormant herpes simplex virus in their body, which could become active at some point or another, due to the following reasons:

  • Emotional or physical trauma
  • Menstruation, for the case of females
  • Exhaustion
  • General sickness, ranging from the flu to more serious diseases and medical conditions

Who Are Most At Risk?

You must understand that one could attain herpes, despite age and gender. The higher the chances of you coming in contact with a herpes patient, the greater are the chances of you picking it up too. According to experts, women are an elevated risk of obtaining the disease. The same could be said for individuals with a weak or compromised immune system, often the result of being ill due to another condition.

Complications Of Herpes

Unfortunately, there are a handful of complications if someone develops herpes, a few of which have been mentioned as follows:

  • If you happen to have genital herpes, you have a higher possibility of acquiring another sexually transmitted disease.
  • The lining of the rectum could become swollen, a condition known as proctitis. This happens mostly in the case of sexual acts between two men.
  • Foetuses have a chance of attaining this disease if their mother already has it.
  • In exceptional cases, the patient also acquires meningitis.

Some Signs To Recognize Herpes

Generally, herpes does not need a laboratory test to be recognized; it could be identified by the formation of sores or blisters around the infected areas, such as the mouth and the genitals. Other signs of genital herpes include itching and a burning sensation and discomfort during urination.

In the case of certain people, a condition known as herpes keratitis may occur, affecting the eyes. This causes a gritty feeling in the eyes, alongside pain and certain discharges. Other people have flu-like symptoms when they acquire herpes, such as fever, lack of appetite, headaches, swelling of lymph nodes and much more.

Diagnosis Of Herpes

Usually, doctors could recognize herpes from the tell-tale signs. However, a few doctors take a test called herpes culture, in order to be certain of the problem. This is helpful for those few patients who do not have blisters when suffering from herpes.

Treatment For Herpes

There happens to be no legitimate cure for herpes today. However, there are drugs that could help minimize the probability of repetitions of the breakout of herpes, nurse sores and blisters and reduce the chances of transmitting the disease to someone else. Some of these drugs include Valtrex, Zovirax and Famvir. These medications need to be prescribed by doctors before they could be taken.

Prevention Of Transmission Of Herpes

As a human being, it is your responsibility to prevent any sorts of transmission of herpes to people around you, if you happen to be a patient. Individuals suffering from genital herpes need to keep away from having sexual contact with others. And those afflicted with oral herpes need to keep away from kissing, sharing cutlery, clothes, make-up products and utensils, or even engaging in oral sex. Women who have herpes could always contact their doctor, get medications prescribed to keep the disease from affecting their growing baby. Any infected skin should always be kept clean, medicated and covered.