An Overview Of Genital Herpes
by Scotch Q. Ennis
Genital herpes is transmitted through intercourse, and is therefore properly categorized as an STD. There's been some suggestion that genital herpes can be transmitted through other means besides intercourse, through secondary means, but the evidence doesn't support this theory. Genital herpes is likely the most common STD: a safe estimate is that twenty percent of adults have it.
Genital herpes' defining characteristic, arguably, is that it nearly always goes unrecognized by the people who have it. Eighty percent, or thereabouts, of people who actually have genital herpes aren't aware of their infected status. In this respect, genital herpes is a silent condition; but silent or not, genital herpes is transmittable.
A typical scenario in genital herpes infection is the mistaking of symptoms. A person who is actually presenting genital herpes symptoms may mischaracterize these symptoms as something else: razor bumps, ingrown hairs, a rash, etc. Thus, what are actually genital herpes symptoms are ultimately dismissed.
In contrast to what may be popular belief, genital herpes symptoms, when they appear, are often very slight. When symptoms are clearly apparent, they typically follow a pattern: discomfort, blisters that expand then break, scabbing, then healing. A cycle of genital herpes symptoms runs two weeks or so. A cycle of genital herpes symptoms can be reduced significantly with proper treatment.
Genital herpes does not present a physical threat to the person who has it: it's a nuisance condition, not a danger. The exception to this can be a person with a severely -- emphasis on severely -- compromised immune system. An infant contracting genital herpes during birth, from an infected mother, is also at risk.
Genital herpes does often present mental trauma. People can go into a deep funk when they learn they have an STD, any STD, even one, like genital herpes, that's not a serious medical threat. This sense of upset is understandable: STDs still, for the most part, carry a stigma. What STDs aren't, however, is moralistic. Lots of "good' people get STDs, and some of those STDs have far worse possible outcomes than genital herpes does.
After an infection with genital herpes occurs, it's typical to lash out and to blame. Doing this represents poor reasoning in a couple of ways. Firstly, it assumes the person who is thought to be the source of infection knew that they were infected. As previously stated, genital herpes almost always goes unrecognized and undiagnosed. Secondly, the appearance of genital herpes symptoms does not necessarily indicate a recent infection. Someone infected with genital herpes can first notice symptoms literally years after they became infected. Given this reality, knowing precisely who infected whom can be exceptionally difficult to determine.
You can find more information about genital herpes infection at genital herpes treatment. Get access to additional articles by going to article exchange directory. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.
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