When I was talking to a friend her mouth slips into saying that someone in her family has herpes. Yikes! I am too worried while I’m on my way home because I remember there is one herpes virus that is contagious. As I return home, I immediately scan the web and research about it. Whew! To my relief herpes simplex virus 2 can be transmitted through saliva or in secretions from the genitals.

To further understand, I dig more facts about this virus. Based on my research, Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), also known as Human herpes virus 1 and 2 (HHV-1 and -2), are two members of the herpes virus family, Herpesviridae, that infect humans. Both are ubiquitous and contagious and can be spread when an infected person is producing and shedding the virus.

Its symptoms include watery blisters in the skin or mucous membranes of the mouth, lips or genitals. Lesions heal with a scab characteristic of herpetic disease. However, although it can be treated there is no known cure to kill the virus. The disease lies dormant in the nerve cells, but it may be reactivated by stress or illness.

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