Genital herpes is the most common sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV).
There are 2 types of herpes simplex (HSV): HSV type 1 (HSV-1), often affecting mouth and lips, and HSV type 2 (HSV-2) which usually produces genital herpes. It is transmitted by vaginal, anal or oral sexual contact by someone infected. After the initial infection, the virus remains unactive in the body and can reactivate after some time. An infected person can be contagious without having any visible lesions; mothers can inffect their babies during labour.
Symptoms appear in outbreaks. Genital herpes can cause pain, itching and blisters in the genital area. Blisters are welts that break and turn painful. They usually appear around the area where the virus entered the body. Sometimes, the people infected don't know they have herpes due to being asymptomatic or having very mild symptoms. In the initial outbreak, which tends to be more acute, systematic symptoms such as fever and general malaise may appear.
The diagnosis is established through a detailed clinical history, complete physical examination and a lesion culture. It can be determined through the antibodies count against the virus.
Although there is no cure, it should be treated with analgesics and applying cold packs directly onto the ulcers. The antiretroviral drug acyclovir can relieve the symptoms and its duration, decrease the duration of the outbreaks, reduce the frequency of their recurrence and minimise its transmission. Preservatives help prevent the propagation of a herpes genital infection.
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