Is there ANY WAY POSSIBLE to contract Genital Herpes other than sexual contact?
Apr.11, 2011 in
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My father-in-law’s wife of 22 years recently saw that she had an outreak of blisters ‘down there.’ She says she knew RIGHT AWAY it was herpes. She’s been suspecting my FIL of cheating for 3-4 yrs and when she saw the blisters flew into a rage, threw stuff at him and kicked him out and served him divorce papers. Next she went to the doc & it’s confirmed. It is genital herpes.
I’ve spoken with both and their stories each sound solid. My FIL swears up and down that he’s never cheated ad shows no signs of herpes. Even when my ‘quasi-hubby’ asked him & swore not to tell me or anyone if he had cheated.
I’m torn. Both stories sound 110% solid. It’s nuts.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:34 am
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease.
Period.
If she’s never had the blisters before (and she may have had it for years and not known it), then it’s likely coming from sex, as the blisters first appear where the virus made contact with the skin.
Keep in mind a lot of people who have it don’t know it, and she or he may have had it for some years and simply not had an outbreak. There is no way to tell.
fishermen
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April 11th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Herpes simplex is a viral infection caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), one of the herpesviridae. There are two types of Herpes Simplex Virus: HSV Type 1 and HSV Type 2. The ways in which herpes infections manifest themselves vary tremendously among individuals. Most cases of genital herpes are caused by HSV-2. It is widespread, affecting an estimated 1 in 4 females and 1 in 5 males in the United States. Although certain therapies can prevent outbreaks or reduce the risk of transmission to partners, no cure is yet available.
Herpes is contracted through direct skin contact (not necessarily in the genital area) with an infected person, and less frequently by indirect contact (for instance, by sharing lip balm or a virus infested shared towel). The virus travels through tiny breaks in the skin (or mucous membranes in the mouth and genital areas), so, healthy skin and mucous membranes are normally an effective barrier to infection. However, in the case of mucous membranes, even microscopic abrasions are sufficient to expose the nerve endings into which the virus splices itself. This is why most herpes transmission happens in mucous membranes, or in areas of the body where mucous membranes and normal skin merge (e.g., the corners of the mouth).
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
There is a basis in fact that herpes could be transmitted via an inanimate object such as a toilet seat or wet towel but the conditions required for this kind of transmission (high heat, high moisture, and a vulnerable exposure site) make it extremely unlikely. Although there are no confirmed cases of this type of transmission, sharing a towel with somebody with active lesions should be avoided. Likewise, sharing lip or mouth products (toothbrushes, lipstick, lip balm, or similar) with somebody with active lesions should be avoided.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes_simplex
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April 12th, 2011 at 3:34 am
If your MIL has fever blisters on her lips, touches them, then touches her genitals, she can contract herpes that way. Also, oral sex with someone that has fever blisters.
This is from the CDC:
“HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, but it more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips, so-called “fever blisters.” HSV-1 infection of the genitals can be caused by oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who has HSV-1 infection.”
http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes_simplex
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April 12th, 2011 at 10:36 am
You need direct skin-to-skin contact to catch herpes. Rarely herpes can be spread by such things as touching a warm, wet object (very specific conditions needed, dryness and the wrong temperature kills herpes) to an outbreak then immediately touching it to an uninfected person. That’s VERY unlikely however, herpes doesn’t survive well at all outside the body.
Your father in law however may have had herpes for a long time without symptoms. Herpes usually has no symptoms in fact. And as it’s only periodically contagious (contagious periods don’t usually have symptoms), it’s quite possible to be with someone a very very long time without spreading it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes_simplex
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