Herpes Genital

One of the fastest growing diseases in the United States is herpes.  Genital herpes affects one out of every four adults in this country, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  It is far and away the most common sexually transmitted disease, and its infection rate doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon.  Like most other venereal diseases, doctors are mystified as to where and how it originated, but it seems much more virulent than most other STDs, meaning that it’s much more easily transmitted from one person to another.

How can you tell if you have herpes?  Genital areas will show some slight reddening, and may be sensitive to touch.  In some cases these symptoms are quite noticeable, and it’s pretty obvious that something is wrong.  But in many cases, the symptoms are very slight, and are easily overlooked, or attributed to some other cause.  In part, that’s because there’s a delay of several days between infection and onset of initial symptoms.  It’s very important to catch herpes at this stage if at all possible and begin treatment right away, because the sooner the first outbreak is treated, the more effective the treatment is, and the fewer outbreaks a person will have in the future, as a general rule.

That’s the first stage.  In the second stage of herpes, genital redness and tenderness will give way to small blisters, which may spread to the buttocks, the inside thigh, and other nearby areas.  In women, they can also be inside the vagina.  This is when most people first realize something is wrong.  The final stage is when the sores become hard, and then begin oozing the pus that’s inside them.  The best way to prevent catching herpes is monogamy.  The second best way is to know the symptoms and abstain when they’re present in a partner.  Lastly, condoms help, but they can’t prevent all infections.  Should you ever come down with genital herpes yourself, don’t forget that the earlier the treatment begins, the more effective it is.