If a person with an outbreak of herpes kisses or is in close physical contact with another person, the herpes infection is passed on. The risk of infection is highest when the herpes sore is having blisters because inside the blisters the clear fluid contains a lot of virus. You are no longer infected when a crust has formed where the blisters were. Many people a do not know and ask “is herpes contagious during treatment?” and yes, it does. Even if you have started treatment with gel/cream or medicine, you can still pass on the infection/become infected if there are still blisters on the wound.
If you have herpes inside the mouth, palate or throat, you must be careful when you cough or sneeze. Herpes is also transmitted through saliva, and you can reduce the risk of infection by coughing/sneezing into a disposable handkerchief and washing your hands afterwards.
Do not touch the wound. You can spread the infection to other places on your own body and the wound can become infected with bacteria or you risk passing the infection to others. Wash your hands often and avoid kissing and having sex during the outbreak period. If you have herpes on the lips or in your mouth, oral sex can pass the infection on to your partner’s genitals. To avoid the risk it is recommended to refrain from having sex when you have herpes outbreaks. Herpes is not spread via towels or bedding, but you must always wash your hands when you wake up because you may unknowingly having touched your herpes sore during the night.
Herpes can also be transmitted at the very beginning of an outbreak. If you’ve had herpes for a long time, you know the symptoms of an emerging outbreak. The skin tingles and becomes sore where the outbreak will appear and you must be alert when the first blisters form. If you have only had a few outbreaks, it is not certain that you are aware of the symptoms before you discover the first blisters. You can in fact infect others before you are aware that you have an outbreak of herpes.
This makes it difficult and emphasizes how important it is to act in a responsible manner.
Herpes is a virus just like Corona and many of the habits we have learned during the Corona epidemic can also be used when we have herpes.
