What Is Mouth Herpes: The Difference Between Oral And Genital HerpesOral herpes, or mouth herpes, should be differentiated from genital herpes. Mouth herpes is not necessarily contracted through sex, although having oral sex with someone who has genital herpes can leave you with cold sores in and around your mouth. It is important to note that even kids are prone to having oral herpes. Below you will find more information about the skin disease. |
Oral herpes is a skin disease caused by a virus known as the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Herpes is characterized by sores and lesions, severe pain, and rashes. There are two types of HSV: HSV-1 causes oral herpes while HSV-2 causes genital herpes.
Herpes affects only humans and they can be infected as young as two years old. After contact with the herpes virus, it will spread in three stages:
- Primary: at this stage, the virus just starts to enter your skin. Once it enters, it will reproduce, causing the development of sores and other symptoms such as fever and muscle pain. Sometimes, some people will experience no pain at all. This is called an asymptomatic infection. Children usually acquire mouth herpes when they constantly suck their thumbs or their fingers.
- Latency: the second stage of the infection involves the virus moving to the spinal system, planting its roots there and further reproducing. This is the reason why herpes cannot be cured but just contained.
- Recurrence: although the herpes can be contained, it will only remain in a dormant state and will again reproduce once triggered by factors such as stress, hormones, and a weak immune system. These can further result in a breakout of sores.
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Sadly, there are no available cures for herpes at the moment. The best thing you can do is to contain the virus and make them lie in a dormant condition. This can be done via topicals and ointments applied on the infection area, thereby lessening the pain caused by sores and making them appear less red.
As they say, the best cure is prevention and you can prevent getting mouth herpes or genital herpes if you just stay clean. Avoid any unsafe sex and keep your child safe by not letting them suck their thumbs and other small preventive measures that can actually mean a lot.
Currently, scientists are developing ways for a vaccine that will prevent one from acquiring herpes even after contact with an infected person.
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