HSV-1 usually causes oral herpes, and HSV-2 usually causes genital herpes — each strain prefers to live on its favorite area. But it's totally possible for both types of herpes simplex to infect either area. For example, you can get HSV-1 on your genitals if someone with a cold sore on their lips gives you oral sex.
Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Sexual contact is the primary way that the virus spreads. After the initial infection, the virus lies dormant in your body and can reactivate several times a year.
Genital HSV‐1, which almost always causes a true primary infection, is likely to be more severe during the initial episode. However, genital HSV‐1 causes fewer recurrences (few or none after the first year of infection) and is shed asymptomatically infrequently.
The average for genital HSV-1 is less than one outbreak per year. Usually, there are more outbreaks during the first year, and many people find that outbreaks become less severe and less frequent with time.
Recurrent genital herpes has been reported in over 80% of individuals following primary genital HSV-2, whereas recurrence in patients who had HSV-1 primary genital herpes was less than 50%. Recurrence of genital herpes averages 0.33/month with HSV-2 disease, but only 0.02/month for HSV-1 genital disease.
Around 140 million people between the ages of 15 and 49 years have a genital HSV-1 infection.
Dear Herpes 1 Once is Enough, For a person who has had herpes cold sores from herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), it is unlikely for HSV1 to be transmitted to the genitals through oral sex. Having been infected with HSV1, the immune system has already manufactured, and kept on reserve, antibodies to this virus.
The main drugs that doctors will prescribe for this purpose are called antiviral medications. These include acyclovir, famciclovir, valacyclovir, and penciclovir. According to MedlinePlus, acyclovir can reduce first-time or repeated outbreaks that occur when individuals have genital herpes.