Herpes

What is it and how do you get it?

Herpes is a virus that is spread by skin to skin contact. There are two forms of herpes, HSV1, which causes cold sores around the mouth, and HSV2, or genital herpes, which leads to sores around the cock and arse. You can get herpes by kissing, sucking cock, rimming, fucking without condoms and even frottage! You can also get it by sharing sex toys. Cold sores on your mouth can be spread to another persons cock or arse, and genital herpes can be spread to the mouth.

How do you prevent it?

Condoms are recommended to limit transmission of genital herpes but are by no means completely effective. At the first sign of either form of herpes it is very important to avoid all sexual activities which involve the infected area coming into contact with your partner’s body.

How do you know you’ve got it?

Herpes appears as small blisters that tingle, itch, or sting and are very painful when they burst. These are filled with a clear liquid, which later turns into a yellowish scab. These sores usually last between 1 and 3 weeks. Genital herpes inside your urethra (piss-hole) will be particularly painful when you piss or cum, while in your arse it results in a burning sensation, especially when shitting. A person is most infectious shortly before the blisters appear and remains infectious until they scab over. And the sores can increase your chance of catching HIV because they provide a route for the virus to get into your blood.

Once you catch herpes, you have it for life, so it’s likely you will continue to have outbreaks for years to come. But the longer you have it, the less frequent the outbreaks. Cold sores can be triggered by any mild trauma such as dental treatment, abrasion of the lips (i.e. from snogging someone with stubble), overdoing it while sunbathing or using tanning beds, anxiety, food allergy, or any disease that produces a fever or increased metabolic rate.

A sexual health clinic will check for signs of herpes as part of routine sexual health check-ups but if you have no visible sores it may go unnoticed. If herpes is suspected a sexual health clinic can test for it by taking a sample of blood, or a swab from one of the sores.

How do you treat it?

There is no cure for either form of herpes although anti-viral treatments in the form of creams or tablets can ease the pain and shorten the duration of the attack. If you have more than six outbreaks in a year you should ask about anti-viral suppression therapy at your GUM clinic.