Revealing fever blisters (dental herpes HSV-1) to potential partners before kissing?

This can be a question raised a great deal around the Herpes Chance forums.

“Should I / How do you disclose which i get fever blisters to potential partners before kissing them?”

The solution could be a confusing one, due to the fact it’s as much as the person on what’s right or otherwise. And there's been an excellent debate around the forum before about this, and lately another question about this subject continues to be tossed in to the ring …

So let’s enter into this a little much deeper, we could?

“If 80% of individuals have fever blisters, whose responsibility could it be to create up? Individuals who've it or individuals who don’t?”

The main reason this conversation is a little difficult to pin lower happens because if this involves dental herpes (HSV-1) particularly, 80% of People in america 14-49 years of age get it. Now that’s a Huge most of people, is it not? We’re not only speaking a measly barely-tipping-the-scales 51% majority or anything. So thinking about this statistic, that will the responsibility to create in the subject fall? (Inside a perfect world, all of us could be speaking about every facet of our sexual and intimate histories with one another prior to getting intimate, however that ain’t the planet we reside in.)

Here’s a different way to think about this without herpes particularly because the subject … Here’s the scenario: Eight from 10 individuals an area are sick using the influenza. All 10 people know before entering the area that 80% of those for the reason that room are sick using the flu. Which group ought to be covering their mouths? The 8 those who are sick or even the 2 individuals who aren’t? You’ll find individuals to argue either point. What it really comes lower to is that this: Exactly what does your integrity let you know to complete thinking about the conditions? Can you feel guilty should you kissed someone without letting them know you've dental herpes (fever blisters)?

My own opinion is we simply possess the conversation, no matter whether herpes is around the mouth or genital area. It’s still an chance with an important conversation and worry about another person's health. Let's suppose before we even kissed, a nonchalant “Hey, just FYI I recieve fever blisters — much like 80% people — and merely wanted to show you. Would you get fever blisters?” Doesn’t need to be a dealbreaker-feeling conversation. No shame. No guilt. No weirdness. Only a simple conversation about herpes. No biggie. That’s the planet I wish to reside in. Where everybody can talk freely about something simple like herpes therefore it can open the doorway to much deeper conversations and much deeper connection.

What exactly do you consider? Get more information at the publish if you would like to participate in around the discussion.

“Yeah, but how about ‘down there’? Ahem, (dental sex) …”

This can lead to the apparent next question that’s requested … how about herpes and dental sex? The thing is, this is when this discussion will get fascinating (so far as I’m concerned). Why? Because let's say someone has herpes from the HSV-1 variety (discover the variations between HSV-1 and HSV-2) as well as their partner goes lower in it (following a proper herpes talk, obviously), then why is the potential for passing HSV-1 to that particular person’s mouth different than passing it for their mouth for those who have dental herpes and hug them? The finish result is identical: HSV-1 is passed for their mouth (in conclusion, which 80% of People in america age range 14-49 have). [Sidenote: You will find also lots of questions regarding receiving dental sex if you have HSV-2 there's under singlePercent possibility of passing genital HSV-2 for your partner.]

This confusing double standard between no shame in dental herpes, but mucho shame in herpes is proof positive in my experience our culture includes a severe sexual shaming problem. The truth that we obtain something through kissing does not have any stigma, but when we obtain something through indicating inside us an intimate manner, we may want to consider shaming our natural urges? Bull honkey. Yeah, I stated it. Bull honkey. Time for you to understand that sex is really a natural, beautiful factor. No shame goes in sex. So how can we change it? With ourselves first. Accept yourself with herpes. Disclose with self-acceptance and integrity. The stigma will change, I promise you. Begin right now.

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Disclosing cold sores (oral herpes HSV-1) to potential partners before kissing?

This is a question brought up a lot on the Herpes Opportunity forums.

“Should I / How do I disclose that I get cold sores to potential partners before kissing them?”

The answer can be a confusing one, simply because it’s up to the individual on what’s right or not. And there has been a great debate on the forum before about it, and recently another question on this topic has been thrown into the ring …

So let’s get into this question a bit deeper, shall we?

“If 80% of people have cold sores, whose responsibility is it to bring it up? Those who have it or those who don’t?”

The reason this conversation is a bit hard to pin down is because when it comes to oral herpes (HSV-1) specifically, 80% of Americans 14-49 years old have it. Now that’s a VAST majority of people, isn’t it? We’re not just talking a measly barely-tipping-the-scales 51% majority or anything. So considering this statistic, with whom does the responsibility to bring up the topic fall? (In a perfect world, we all would be talking about every aspect of our sexual and intimate histories with each other before getting intimate, but that ain’t the world we live in.)

Here’s another way to think of this without herpes specifically as the topic … Here’s the scenario: Eight out of 10 people in a room are sick with the flu virus. All 10 people know before walking into the room that 80% of the people in that room are sick with the flu. Which group should be covering their mouths? The 8 people who are sick or the 2 people who aren’t? You’ll find people to argue either point. What it comes down to is this: What does your integrity tell you to do considering the circumstances? Would you feel guilty if you kissed someone without telling them you have oral herpes (cold sores)?

My personal opinion is we just have the conversation, regardless of whether or not herpes is on the mouth or genitals. It’s still an opportunity to have an important conversation and care about someone else’s health. Imagine if before we even kissed, a nonchalant “Hey, just FYI I get cold sores — just like 80% of us — and just wanted to let you know. Do you get cold sores?” Doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker-feeling conversation. No shame. No guilt. No weirdness. Just a simple conversation about herpes. No biggie. That’s the world I want to live in. Where everyone can talk openly about something simple like herpes so it can open the door to deeper conversations and deeper connection.

So what do YOU think? Click here for the post if you’d like to join in on the discussion.

“Yeah, but what about ‘down there’? Ahem, (oral sex) …”

This leads to the obvious next question that’s asked … what about herpes and oral sex? You see, this is where this discussion gets fascinating (as far as I’m concerned). Why? Because what if someone has genital herpes of the HSV-1 variety (read about the differences between HSV-1 and HSV-2) and their partner goes down on them (after a proper herpes talk, of course), then what makes the potential of passing HSV-1 to that person’s mouth any different than passing it to their mouth if you have oral herpes and kiss them? The end result is the same: HSV-1 is passed to their mouth (to recap, which 80% of Americans ages 14-49 have). [Sidenote: There are also a lot of questions about receiving oral sex when you have HSV-2; there is less than a 1% chance of passing genital HSV-2 to your partner.]

This confusing double standard between no shame in oral herpes, but mucho shame in genital herpes is proof positive to me that our culture has a severe sexual shaming problem. The fact that we get something through kissing doesn’t have any stigma, but if we get something through expressing ourselves in a sexual manner, we might want to consider shaming our natural urges? Bull honkey. Yeah, I said it. Bull honkey. Time to realize that sex is a natural, beautiful thing. No shame belongs in sex. So how do we shift it? With ourselves first. Accept yourself with herpes. Disclose with self-acceptance and integrity. The stigma will shift, I promise you. Start now.

View the original article here

Potential Herpes Vaccine Disappoints Researchers

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A potential vaccine for genital herpes has shown only limited effectiveness in thwarting one type of the sexually transmitted virus and no ability to stop a second type from spreading, a new study shows.

A group of American and Canadian researchers conducted a randomized trial on more than 8,300 women aged 18 to 30 who tested negative for both forms of the herpes simplex virus, known as HSV-1 and HSV-2. Half of the women were given the experimental vaccine while the other half were given the hepatitis A vaccine.

The experimental vaccine was 58 percent effective at preventing genital disease stemming from HSV-1, but completely ineffective against HSV-2.

"We were disappointed it did not meet the primary [goal], which was protection against all types of genital herpes," said study author Dr. Robert B. Belshe, a professor of medicine, pediatrics and molecular microbiology at Saint Louis University. "Herpes is a complex organism and has ways of escaping the immune system, so we have to figure out a way of overcoming those mechanisms."

The study is published Jan. 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Genital herpes affects about 16 percent of Americans aged 14 to 49, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both types of the virus are released from their resulting sores but can also be transmitted between outbreaks, and the infection is potentially fatal in newborns who acquire it from their mothers during birth.

Fifty clinical sites in both the United States and Canada followed the women -- who reported their own sexual risk behaviors -- between 2003 and 2007. A heightened risk for HSV-1 infection was associated with six or more lifetime sexual partners and more than one partner in the previous 12 months, while those who were 23 or older were less likely to contract HSV-1 than those between 18 and 22.

Factors not associated with an increased likelihood of HSV-1 included race, condom use, oral sex, a history of any sexually transmitted infection or ever having a partner with herpes. Men weren't tested in this study, though prior research showed investigational herpes vaccines to be ineffective in men and HSV-1 positive women.

"I was very disappointed there wasn't more of a benefit," said Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an attending physician in infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., who wasn't involved in the study. "I think we're asking that a vaccine provide better immunity than an actual infection provides. I'm concerned if we'll ever find a vaccine effective for HSV-2."

"I think what we tell patients is ... there are antiviral medications that can make a difference and can give people comfort, and the availability of treatment is encouraging," he added.

While other potential vaccines are in the pipeline, Belshe said, the one that works probably needs to be "more complex" than the one recently studied, which contained a single surface protein of the herpes virus. The chicken pox vaccine, which has been widely used in the past decade, is a good example of a herpes-related virus that has been brought under control, he said.

"Something like that is what we need to come up with for HSV," he said. "I think this is a very important study, and the result is an incredibly important step in figuring out what will work."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on genital herpes.

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Fraunhofer Develops 3D Herpes Model to Test Potential Treatments - Medagadget.com

Approximately 90 percent of people are carrying the herpes simplex virus, but the virus spends most of its time in a dormant state which has proven difficult to research. Now, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB have developed a 3D herpes infection model which they are now using to study the virus’ dormant state. The investigators claim their research will aid in the testing of future cold sore treatments by reducing the need for animal testing.

From the press release:

To date the skin models used for drug testing and to detect the virus have been very simple and unable to simulate the dormancy state of the virus. “We have integrated a neuronal cell line into the certified skin model of the IGB and are able to detect this latency stage for the first time.”

Research on active ingredients can profit from the 3D herpes infection model of the researchers from IGB, a model that also enables improved study of infection mechanisms. This procedure might also be used to test new medications for shingles, which is also caused by a variant strain of the herpes virus.

Full story: Goodbye cold sores…

View the original article here

Fraunhofer Develops 3D Herpes Model to Test Potential Treatments - Medagadget.com

Approximately 90 percent of people are carrying the herpes simplex virus, but the virus spends most of its time in a dormant state which has proven difficult to research. Now, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB have developed a 3D herpes infection model which they are now using to study the virus’ dormant state. The investigators claim their research will aid in the testing of future cold sore treatments by reducing the need for animal testing.

From the press release:

To date the skin models used for drug testing and to detect the virus have been very simple and unable to simulate the dormancy state of the virus. “We have integrated a neuronal cell line into the certified skin model of the IGB and are able to detect this latency stage for the first time.”

Research on active ingredients can profit from the 3D herpes infection model of the researchers from IGB, a model that also enables improved study of infection mechanisms. This procedure might also be used to test new medications for shingles, which is also caused by a variant strain of the herpes virus.

Full story: Goodbye cold sores…

View the original article here