Genital Herpes

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) which comes with the virus, herpes simplex. It must be noted that some people with this disease do not present symptoms but are carriers of the virus. Once a person has the virus, (like its cousin, the virus that causes cold sores) he or she will always have it and when the symptoms manifest, it is called an “outbreak”. A person having an outbreak may have the following symptoms:

• Feeling itchy around the genitals • Painful small blisters • Fever • Headache • Flu-like symptoms

Genital herpes is common; in fact, one out of five Americans suffer from it. Patients are often prescribed with antiviral medication to lessen the symptoms. As this is a communicable condition, it is also recommended that sexual contact be avoided when one of the partners is having an outbreak.