Herpes is a viral infection caused by the virus herpes simplex virus ( ). It causes painful blisters and sores around the mouth or genitals. Herpes simplex virus mainly affects two regions of the body, around the mouth, and the second is around the genitalia. It is a sexually transmitted disease.
There are two types of herpes simplex virus
- HSV Type1
- HSV Type2
Herpes simplex virus types 1 causes cold sores around the mouth.
Type 2 causes sores on the genital parts which are sexually transmitted.
HSV infection can not be treated, there is no cure for herpes. Treatment will only help you to control the disease and to manage the symptoms not to cure the disease. If you get infectious, then it will remain throughout your life. Some people do not show any symptoms even if they are infectious also.
Symptoms
Some people develop symptoms of herpes while some do not experience any symptoms. You will get symptoms after 2-20 days of the infection. Some people become infectious but they didn’t show any symptoms. Some common symptoms are:-
- Painful sores around the genital area or around the mouth.
- Fever
- Genital discharge, such as vaginal discharge
- pain and itching
- swollen lymph nodes
Oral herpes
HSV Type 1 causes cold sores or blisters around the mouth. These sores spread from the mouth to another part of the face and more rarely on another part of the skin also. Generally, these sores appear for 2–3 weeks at a time.
Genital herpes
HSP Virus Type 2 causes sores on the genital part such as on the penis, around or inside the vagina, or on the anus. This causes pain during urination and also leads to vaginal discharge.
Human papillomavirus shows different symptoms at different stages
- Primary stage
- Latent stage
- Shedding stage
- Recurrences
Primary stage
This is the first stage of HPV infection. It generally starts from 2 to 8 days after you get the infection. In this stage, small blisters arise on your body which may cause pain and get converted into sores. Some people don’t show any symptoms.
Latent stage
In this phase, the virus spreads from one tissue to other through the bloodstream. Viruses mainly spread from your skin to nerves.
Shedding stage
This is the phase of multiplication, the virus starts multiplying in the nerve. Then from this nerve, they come in contact with fluids present in the body. At this stage, herpes is very contagious.
Recurrences
The blisters and sores which get disappeared after the first stage start appearing again. This is called a recurrence.
Causes
HPV is a viral infection caused by the Human papillomavirus which spread from one person to another by vaginal, oral, or anal sex. In this disease, viruses enter your body through genital parts such as through the penis, vagina, urinary tract opening, or anus.
Herpes can also spread from one part to another part of the body. For example, when infected people touch their genital sores their fingers can carry the virus, and then it can pass to other parts of your body, including your mouth or eyes.
Herpes treatment
HSV infection can not be treated, there is no cure for herpes. Treatment will only help you to control the disease and to manage the symptoms not to cure the disease. If you get infectious, then it will remain throughout your life. If you get any symptoms, consult a doctor asap. Medicines such as acyclovir and valacyclovir will help to fight the herpes virus.
Preventions
It is best to take all the precautions to get protection from HPV.
- Use a condom every time you have sex
- Limit the number of sexual partners
- Don’t receive oral sex from somebody with a cold sore
- Don’t have sex with a partner who has sores on their genitals.
