The herpes simplex virus (HSV), referred to as herpes, is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that results in sores and other discomforts. However, due to the proliferation of testing, herpes is easily identifiable and manageable.
Today, we wanted to detail the difference between oral and genital herpes, what causes both, how to avoid both and what herpes testing involves.
What is herpes?
Herpes-type 1 and herpes type 2 can affect you orally and genitally. Herpes (both types and locations) is incurable. On top of that, it is highly contagious.
In fact, 11% of the global population has herpes simplex type 2. And a further staggering 67% of the global population has herpes simplex type 1. If anything, the Earth and mankind have come to live side by side with Herpes.
If you’re worried about Herpes infection, just know you are not an outcast and there are professionals here to help you! We understand that STDs are scary but hopefully, this blog will help dissuade some of your fears.
How is herpes spread?
Both strains of Herpes (HSV-1 and HSV-2) are spread through:
- Skin-to-skin contact in the affected areas
- Infected bodily fluids
- A herpes sore
What is the Difference Between Oral Herpes and Genital Herpes?
Oral herpes and genital herpes are not medical terms. It is just an easy way to refer to the herpes infection and its location. If we’re being scientific, we have the HSV-1 and HSV-2 strains of the virus that can both be found in either location.
There are three differences between HSV-1 and HSV-2:
- Social Stigma
HSV-1 (oral herpes) certainly holds less social stigma than HSV-2 (genital herpes). When one is told they have oral herpes, it can feel manageable and a simple obstacle to overcome. Whilst, hearing you have genital herpes can sometimes feel like the end of the world.
There really isn’t any justification for the stigma surrounding the two different strains of herpes. It’s doubly weird we consider discussing herpes infections like its’ taboo especially if we take into account the aforementioned global infection rates.
- Location
We may be stating the obvious here but a major difference is a location. Other than where we find the infection, there really isn’t much difference between the two strains. At the end of the day, HSV-1 and HSV-2 are just strains of the same virus, they just happen to like two different locations.
- Antibodies
The biggest difference between the two strains is that they cause the body to produce different antibodies. This difference is actually the indicating factor when an STD test is used the test is able to identify what infection you have from the antibodies your body has produced.
Remember: Herpes is commonly asymptomatic!
We cannot stress this enough: Both types of herpes are commonly asymptomatic, meaning they show no symptoms at all. And when symptoms appear, it can be years after the initial infection!
As a result, you should get regularly tested, especially if you are sexually active. You owe this, not just to yourself, but also to your partner. And remember, as long as you maintain an open and honest dialogue with your sexual partners about both of your infection statuses, you’ll be doing everything in your power to lower your chance of infection.
Keep an eye on Check Your Chap for more sexual health education, tips, tricks and breakdowns!