HSV stands for Herpes Simplex Virus. Any person with HSV in their system will experience sores or blisters on certain parts of the body. These sores/blisters are quite painful.
Types of HSV
There are two
types of HSV:
1. HSV 1 – oral
herpes
2. HSV 2 –
genital herpes
HSV1 is
characterised by cold sores around the mouth while HSV2 sees blisters or sores
in the genital area.
If you see
the aforementioned sores on your body, you should immediately go in for HSV
testing at any nearby urgent care center or hospital so that it can be
ruled out or confirmed at the soonest.
Points of concern
Both types
of HSV are recurring infections. You cannot rest easy with this infection. Even
if your first outbreak of infection clears up, it may flare up again sometime
in the future.
The only
silver lining in this cloud is that the severity of the infection lessens over
time. While the sores may be painful and uncomfortable, no serious health
concern is caused by HSV.
It is quite rare,
but possible, that herpes travels to the spinal cord or brain of the infected.
In these cases, it becomes serious as it can cause meningitis or
encephalitis.
Another
worrisome aspect is the passing on of the infection from a delivering mother to
her new-born baby. This is because HSV can be life-threatening to a newly born
child.
HSV testing
done during the pregnancy period can detect the presence of the HSV virus in
the body of the mother-to-be. It is imperative to get this done to safeguard
the life of the little one.
Need for HSV Test
A sexually
adventurous life means opening yourself to a plethora of sexually transmitted
infections. Unless you are very sure of your sexual partners’ medical history,
you cannot rest easy regarding the transmission of STIs.
If you are
hesitating due to monetary reasons, you can go in for free HIV testing
in DC and many other places in the US. Many health centers and
hospitals offer these for free so that a check can be kept on the spread of
STDs.
It is seen
that HSV affects men who have sex with men, persons with multiple sex mates,
and those who have sexual companions with pre-existing STDs.
If you have
HSV2, you are more susceptible to getting HIV or STDs. HSV2 spreads through
oral, vaginal or anal sex, and a person may get infected even if no visible
sores can be seen on the body of the partner.
Herpes does
not yet have a cure. It can only be controlled with medicines. Thus, there is a
strong need for testing so that it does not take a serious turn in your body and
put you at serious health risks.
