Herpes – we’ve all heard of it, but mention the topic in general conversation and watch your companions squirm. Chances are they have had a personal experience with this extraordinary common condition.
The New Zealand Herpes Foundation website (www.herpes.org.nz) states that up to 80 per cent of the population has had the ‘cold sore’ variety affecting the mouth or face, called Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV 1) and approximately 22 per cent are affected by the genital type, Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV 2). HSV 1 also causes approximately 25 per cent of genital herpes.
In order to contract HSV, a person needs to have direct contact with a person who is infected, and in most cases has had an active herpetic lesion. Condoms will reduce, but not eliminate the risk. So what can you do to treat this condition? More information and helpful solutions are available in this article.