How do you catch Herpes?...

HSV is contracted through direct skin contact (not necessarily in the genital area) and less frequently by indirect contact, in particular by sharing lip balm. The virus travels through tiny breaks in the skin or through moist areas, but symptoms may not appear for up to a month or more after infection. Transmission was thought to be most common during an active outbreak - however, in the early 1980s, it was found that the virus can be shed from the skin in the absence of symptoms. It is estimated that between 50% and 80% of new HSV2 cases are passed on when the sufferer has no symptoms.

Transmitting HSV.

This method of transmitting HSV to another person is known to be more frequent within the first 12 months of acquiring HSV2. Sex should always be avoided in the presence of symptomic lesions. Oral sex performed by someone with oral lesions, or other symptoms, should be avoided, to avoid transmission of HSV1 to the partner's genitals.

Women are more susceptible to acquiring genital HSV2 than men. On an annual basis, without the use of antivirals or condoms, the transmission risk from infected male to female is approximately 8-10%. This is believed to be due to the increased exposure of the right sort of tissue (mucus membranes) to potential infection sites. Transmission risk from infected female to male is approximately 4-5% annually.

Antiviral Therapy.

Antiviral therapy reduces these risks by 50%. Antivirals also help prevent the development of symptomatic HSV in infection scenarios by about 50%, meaning the infected partner will be seropositive but symptom free.

Condom use also reduces the transmission risk by 50%. Condom use is much more effective at preventing male to female transmission than vice-versaIf you use antiviral therapy and condoms, the risk of transmission is reduced by 75%. It is important to note that these figures reflect experiences with subjects having frequently recurring genital herpes (more than 6 recurrences per year). Subjects with low recurrence rates and those with no clinical manifestations were excluded from these studies.

It is unlikely that herpes can be passed on by hot tubs or toilet seats, though research into this continues. Although it has never been reported that someone has caught herpes this way, it is wise to avoid sharing towels, toothbrushes, lipstick or lip balm with someone who has herpes.