Herpes

This article addresses the occurrence of subtle rashes after sexual activity and the potential link to herpes, even in the absence of typical symptoms like pain, itching, or blisters. It describes real-life experiences of individuals who noticed faint rashes and explores the difficulty of recognizing herpes due to its often mild or asymptomatic presentation. The article outlines common non-STD causes of post-sex rashes, including friction, allergies, and yeast infections, and provides guidance on herpes testing, including PCR swabs and IgG blood tests, along with recommended timing.

This article explores how herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), commonly known as oral herpes, can be transmitted through kissing even in the absence of visible symptoms such as cold sores. The virus sheds asymptomatically from the skin, meaning it can spread silently and infect others without warning. It dispels common misconceptions that herpes only spreads through sexual intercourse or visible sores, emphasizing the high prevalence of HSV-1 and its ability to cause both oral and genital infections.

This fact sheet outlines that herpes simplex virus (HSV‑1 and HSV‑2) is a common, lifelong infection causing oral or genital blisters, transmitted via skin-to-skin or saliva contact—even when asymptomatic—and managed through antiviral treatment and preventive measures. It emphasizes that many individuals are unaware of their infection and underscores the role of condoms and suppressive therapy in reducing symptom recurrence and transmission.

This webpage discusses the importance of routine testing for herpes, emphasizing its role in managing cold sores and preventing transmission. It highlights how herpes can be asymptomatic, making regular screening essential for early detection and management. The webpage also covers testing options and the benefits of early intervention.

In this two-part episode of ASHA’s Sex+Health podcast, Terri Warren, RN, ANP—nurse, author, and owner of Westover Heights Clinic in Portland, Oregon that specializes in the genital herpes infection—explains the tests that can provide an accurate genital herpes diagnosis and how they work and clarifies that a physical exam alone should never be the final diagnosis for anyone, for many reasons. She also discusses the importance of knowing herpes type and offers helpful insight into how to put a herpes infection into proper perspective.

This fact sheet discusses the clinical summary of the USPSTF Recommendation for serologic screening for genital herpes infection.

This plan outlines the HSV research framework with four strategic priorities: improving fundamental knowledge of HSV biology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology; accelerating research to improve HSV diagnosis; improving strategies to treat HSV while seeking a curative therapeutic; and, advancing research to prevent HSV infection.