Herpes is passed directly from the affected area of skin which could be the genitals, face or hands , by direct skin to skin contact, with friction, when the virus is present.
See also asymptomatic shedding, below. It may come back at or near the place the virus was caught. Herpes simplex gets in easily through mucous membranes, i. Sometimes it gets into ordinary skin, on other parts of the body, if there is a cut or break in the skin.
But this is only if these come into direct contact with the affected area of another person. A finger sore is called a herpetic whitlow. Oral sex, when the virus is active on the face, allows the virus to be passed from the face of one person to the genitals of another. Or if one person has it genitally, oral sex will mean it is possible for a partner to catch it on the face. You can pass it on from the affected area, when the virus is present on the skin surface.
This means herpes transmission is possible from the first warning signs that a recurrence is starting. They can be tingles, burning skin sensations, aches, stabbing pains. And on, until the time when there are sores or blisters, until they have healed and fresh skin has grown back. This two-page summary covers the basics.
About six in ten adults by age 25 carry herpes simplex virus type 1 [ 4 ] [ 5 ] and one in ten carries type 2. Only around one in three of those infected β with either type β is aware of this.
