The Herpes Simplex Virus - How an Outbreak Occurs and is Transmitted

A cold herpes sore is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) which will manifest itself in two types of viral infection . It is marked by painful watery blisers to the skin or the mucous membrane (such as those found on the mouth or lips) as well as those found on a person's genitals. What you should remember is that this disease is contagious, especially during an outbreak and cannot be cured using current technology.

The infection that appears on a person's lip is the one that is commonly referred to as a cold sore and it may sometimes be confused with aphthous ulcers or those which are more commonly referred to as canker sores. These are similar in appearance but appear inside the mouth they are not caused by HSV. For those people who do not present signs of HSV ,then it lies dormant in the bodies of the nerve cells and will replicate and travel along the axons towards the skin during an outbreak. Once the outbreak has passed, the virus lies dormant within the nerve bodies and it is very difficult to treat it.

Generally HSV is transmitted by direct contact of the lips where cold herpes sores are present or just before they appear. Unfortunately if you happen to be suffering from genital cold sores then you may well increase the chance of infection to your unborn child at the time of birth. The virus will be transmitted to them as they travel down the birth canal, but this risk can be minimised if there are no symptoms or exposed blisters during the delivery. Normally a person who suffers an outbreak of cold sores for the first time after being exposed to HSV will usually have more severe symptoms than those outbreaks that they have at later dates . This is because the body will not have had a chance to produce antibodies the first time to help attack the virus.

Most outbreaks of cold herpes sores are preceded by a sensation of burning, itching or tingling in the area prior to the blistering becoming visible.

In the US over recent years there has been a decline in infections with the HSV-1 and 2 strains of genital herpes though infections rates are still around 58% for HSV-1 and 17% for HSV-2.