Herpes symptoms: know the warning signs

Until I met Vicky, all I knew about herpes was that it was a sexually transmitted disease that caused nasty sores to appear on your genitals. Turns out, that's just one piece of the puzzle.

Herpes is the name for a group of viruses that can cause painful sores and blisters on the mouth, genitals and other areas of the body. There's even a form of ocular herpes, in which herpes virus in the eyes can eventually cause people to go blind. Herpes zoster, another strain of the virus, is responsible for causing the common childhood illness chickenpox.

The disease is spread from having contact with an infected area of another person's body. The disease can be spread at any time, but it spreads easiest when the infected person is in having an outbreak of blisters and/or sores. The disease can be transmitted orally or sexually through a break in the skin; usually it's spread when people have sex or oral sex.

Why knowing the signs of herpes is important

Knowing the symptoms of herpes would have saved me a lot of trouble, because I would have known I was relatively safe following my encounter with Vicky. Turns out, I did not contract the herpes virus. Vicky was not having an outbreak, otherwise I probably would have been infected. Knowing the appearance of herpes sores and blisters can tip you off before you have unprotected sex with someone who has the virus.

If you or your sexual partner exhibit any of the signs of the herpes virus, both of you should visit your doctors for immediate medical examinations. Just because you're not showing the symptoms of herpes doesn't mean you haven't contracted the disease. If you see your doctor at the first recognition of symptoms – either on you or your partner – then you'll minimize your chances of becoming infected.