Sage-Tips

Do you tell people you have HSV-1?

Your friends, colleagues and family probably don’t need to know about it, as there’s minimal risk of them catching the virus from you through sexual contact. If you have close friends and the subject of herpes comes up in discussion, feel free to tell them about your HSV-1 or HSV-2 status if you feel comfortable.

Should you disclose HSV-1?

“In order to help decrease the spread, it is important to disclose any STI (including herpes) to any sexual partner, so they can make the informed decision to proceed or not,” Dr. Gelow said. “Being able to freely talk about these conditions makes it easier to disclose to potential sexual partners.”

Should you tell partner about HSV-1?

HSV-1 is highly contagious, so if you have a cold sore, it’s important to mention it to your partner before you kiss or have sexual contact.

What happens if you test positive for HSV-1?

If your test result is positive, it can mean that you have an active herpes infection without symptoms. It can also mean that you had an HSV infection in the past. The antibody blood test is not as reliable as culturing a sample from a herpes sore.

Can a false positive HSV-2 test result be wrong?

False positive HSV-2 results can happen, especially in people who are at low risk for a herpes infection. Also, we do not know if people who test positive for herpes will change their sexual behavior as a result of a positive test.

Can you get herpes from kissing someone who has genital herpes?

So yes, you can get genital herpes from having sex with someone who has genital herpes. But you can also get genital herpes from having oral sex with someone who kissed an infected adult on the lips as a child. If you’ve ever had a cold sore, you definitely have HSV-1. (For life.)

What percentage of people have HSV-1?

About 67\% of the world’s population under 50 has HSV-1. 1  Cold sores affect roughly three of every thousand people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of these, 33\% will experience subsequent attacks triggered by stress, fever, and other causes. 2 

Can you get tested for herpes without having an outbreak?

According to the myth, a herpes diagnosis requires testing swabs from actual herpes sores. Which implies only people who’ve had an outbreak can get tested for herpes. The same source will go on to tell you that only about 40\% of people who have herpes will get an outbreak.