Helping people with herpes to help themselves
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Genital herpes - it's not what you think
If you want to know about genital herpes - we can help. Most of what people think they know about this virus is wrong. We tell you why.
See Read this first and take a look at what Dr George Kinghorn (herpes simplex expert) has to say. Check Frequently Asked Questions. Take a look at this video:
Then if you still have questions, or want to discuss it with a helpline volunteer, phone 0845 123 2305 (this is a local rate call from a landline). Short answers can be given by email.
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See information on the other six herpes viruses (there are nine in total).
What other 'herpes' sites don't tell you
- Most people have herpes simplex - 60% have facial herpes (cold sores) and 10% have genital herpes in the UK. These figures are even higher in other countries including the USA and the developing world.
- Three quarters don't know they have it: 1 in 4 will have no symptoms; 2 in 4 will have only mild symptoms and are unlikely to be diagnosed; 1 in 4 will have more noticeable symptoms and will be diagnosed.
- Herpes simplex is seldom of any medical importance - some people are quite ill when they catch it but so are some people who catch flu.
- It is not incurable - your immune system cures it very well and stops recurrences for many people.
- There are good treatment methods for the unlucky few - medication or herbal treatments and improved lifestyle management.
- It's not the only infection that stays with us once we catch it - chickenpox and glandular fever also hide in the body but no one makes a fuss about them.
Other web sites may exaggerate the worst cases and seek to make you believe herpes is a big deal. Don't be fooled. It's as big a deal as you want to make it. You don't have to worry about it. Join the HVA if you are worried and we'll help you not to be. We arrange workshops as well as social events.
Dr George Kinghorn, GU consultant in Sheffield told us: "What I am suggesting to you is that to be infected with a herpes simplex virus is a state of normality. We tend to make this into a big deal instead of to say that to be infected with herpes virus is something that happens to all adults, some with symptoms and some of us without." Read the full text of Dr Kinghorn's talk here.
Read this first: If you have not been diagnosed with herpes simplex, do not jump to conclusions. Herpes simplex can appear in various ways so the best way to be sure about what you have is to get a swab test done at a Sexual Health Department (genito-urinary medicine clinic, or GUM clinic) at your nearest general hospital or search here, and write your town in the box on the left. Note that we cannot diagnose what might be affecting you by email or on the helpline.
Still have questions? We have answers.
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