Aug 11
6

What is the difference between oral herpes and genital herpes?

5 Comments
herpes
ilcw420 asked:


If u have oral herpes, can they be transmitted to the genitals? They are different right?

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Posted in Herpes by admin 5 Comments

5 Responses to "What is the difference between oral herpes and genital herpes?"

  • joboxers1971 says:
    August 8, 2011 at 1:09 pm
    Reply

    For herpes simplex virus, there is a type 1 and type 2

    oral herpes – its type 1. milder infection but appearance wise, could be debilitating. (cold sores over lips)

    genital herpes – type 2, BUT there are cases whereby it could still be under type 1. however herpes type 2 is very rare.

    yes, oral herpes can be transmitted to the genitals, either ways.

  • dexter says:
    August 10, 2011 at 8:09 am
    Reply

    yes, 2 separate viruses, though similar.
    but keep safe and don’t go doing stuff if you have an oral outbreak.

  • Howard H says:
    August 12, 2011 at 1:11 pm
    Reply

    Location, location, location. You can have either type in either location (or for that matter elsewhere).

  • Starlet says:
    August 13, 2011 at 5:20 am
    Reply

    Blistery sores, caused by Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, that most often occur where moist lining membranes meet the skin around the mouth, nose, the genitals & the anus. There are two known types of HSV: type 1 & type 2. Type 1 mainly causes cold sores around the mouth. Most people who get oral herpes have been infected during childhood, mostly before the age of 5. Type 2 usually affects the genital region, & is generally sexually transmitted. However, either type can infect any part of the body covered with stratified epithelium (a surface layer that is many cells thick), including the buttocks, thighs, neck, vagina & cervix, the lining of the mouth & the cornea (transparent area in front of the coloured part of the eye). Herpes simplex is most often caught by direct contact with another person’s sore. The virus gets in through a break, which may be too small to be noticed, in skin or membranes. Because kissing & sexual intercourse are most common close encounters we have with others (& are also likely to cause small breaks in membranes or skin), the mouth & genitals are the most common sites of infection. The virus is sometimes transferred by contaminated hands or utensils – probably the way it spreads when oral herpes infects school children, or when the eye becomes infected. A baby may be infected during birth if the mother has a genital herpes sore at the time, or if it has contact with the virus( by kissing or from contaminated hands) in early months of life.
    After a person becomes infected there is an incubation period of 2 to 21 days before symptoms appear for the first time. This is called the primary attack (subsequent attacks are called recurrences). Tingling sensations may herald the developement of painful red blistered swellings at the site of infection. After a day or so blisters break to form ulcers, which often merge to form larger ulcers. Nearby glands become swollen & tender. After 1 to 3 weeks the body’s defences begin to overcome the multiplication & spread of the virus at the primary site of infection. The ulcers dry & form scabs, & when the scabs drop off the skin under them will have healed.
    The primary attack of herpes may be very severe, possibly with fever, headache & aching muscles at its height. Swelling & ulcers can spread widely & be very painful. In genital herpes, swelling around the opening of the uretha (which drains urine from the bladder) can make it difficult or almost impossible to pass urine. Recurrences are rarely as severe as the primary attack.
    During the primary attack, the virus enters the nerve that supplies the area where the sore appears & migrates along the nerve to its root near the spinal cord. Here it remains, mostly in a dormant state, for life. In some circumstances, thought to be connected with reduced immune function, the virus is reactivated & starts to multiply in the nerve root. It may then migrate back down the nerve to the skin to cause a recurrence of herpes in the area supplied by the nerve. Some people infected by herpes simplex never or seldom get recurrences. If recurrences do occur they are usually milder than the primary attack. They become less frequent as time goes by. People who have repeated attacks of herpes simplex often know what is likely to trigger an attack: other illness (hence the names ‘cold sores’ & ‘fever blisters’; being overtired, emotionally upset, jetlagged or ‘hung over’; & local injuries such as sunburn, chapping or a blow on the mouth. Sometimes recurrences turn up for no apparent reason, but mosy sufferers feel that they can reduce their number by avoiding whatever is likely to bring them on.
    Sorry went a little of track there, probably a little too much info!!!
    Regards, Starlet..

  • mayflower25 says:
    August 15, 2011 at 10:19 am
    Reply

    No, they aren’t really different and yes, oral herpes can be transmitted to the genitals.

    There are two different herpes viruses, hsv-1 and hsv-2 but they cause exactly the same symptoms and both can infect and be transferred to the mouth and the genitals.

    The only difference is that hsv-1 has a slight preference for being on the mouth and hsv-2 prefers the genitals. This does not manifest itself in how easily they infect the other site though – they are both happy to infect either site.

    Hsv-1 causes about 95% of oral herpes infections hsv-2 5%
    However, hsv-1 is also responsible for 50%+ of genital herpes, probably because oral sex is so popular! Hsv-2 accounts for about 50% of new genital herpes infections, even less depending on where you live.

    The only difference is in the average number of recurrences they cause and how infectious they are.

    For example, hsv-1 is infectious for about 18% of the time on your mouth, but if it causes genital herpes it is infectious about 3-4% of the time.

    Hsv-2 is more infectious when it is on your genitals than hsv-1 – on average it causes about 4 outbreaks a year while hsv-1 on average only causes about 1 outbreak every other year.

    If you are the one with oral herpes, you probably won’t transmit it to your own genitals, as your immune system will provide protection for you against this, but you should be aware you can transmit it to someone else’s genitals if you give them oral sex.

    If you don’t have oral herpes, if someone gives you oral sex they can give you genital herpes if they have oral herpes – it can even happen when they don’t have a cold sore visible. In fact 70% of infections are transmitted when no symptoms are present. I caught genital herpes through my boyfriend givingg me oral sex. Although I knew he got cold sores he did not have one at the time.

    Contrary to a previous answer, oral herpes is not a milder infection, it is just the same – in fact some people who have herpes both orally and genitally find that their oral herpes is more severe.

    In fact, of the possible combinations of infection you can have with herpes – hsv-1 on the mouth, hsv-2 on the genitals, hsv-1 on the genitals, hsv-2 on the mouth – hsv-1 on the mouth, which is the normal form of oral herpes, is actually the most infectious and can easily infect the genitals of someone who does not have the protection of already having on their mouth. It is infectious slightly more of the time than genital herpes hsv-2, and 5x as much of the time as genital hsv-1.

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