Can You Get Herpes 2 If Your Partner Isn't Infected?
Herpes 2, or herpes simplex 2 (HSV-2), is transmitted sexually through direct skin-to-skin contact. It's not possible to get HSV-2 from a sexual partner who isn't infected with HSV-2. However, because most people with herpes are unaware of their infection, it's a flawed assumption that they are safe sex partners. The presence of HSV-2 can only be definitively diagnosed through medical testing.
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The Truth About HSV-2
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Genital herpes is not uncommon--around 20 percent of the world population over the age of 12 has genital herpes. But according to the Mayo Clinic, an astounding 90 percent of people don't know that they're infected with genital herpes. Once infected, HSV-2 takes up residence in the sacral ganglia closest to the spine, activating and reactivating arbitrarily. While there is no way to predict when an outbreak may occur, triggers may include stress, illness, fatigue or a suppressed immune system due to certain medications or illnesses such as HIV/AIDS. HSV-2 can be passed through asymptomatic shedding of the virus, which escapes through tiny breaks in the infected person's skin, so an active outbreak need not be present for the disease to spread.
Testing for HSV
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Herpes is difficult to accurately diagnose just by examining the source of the outbreak. Taking a culture or swab of the sore has a high false negative rate--this means that results may indicate a person is free of HSV-2 when in fact he does have it. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is similar to a culture, is much more sensitive to the presence of HSV-2. However, in the absence of any symptoms, blood tests can gauge the presence of herpes antibodies. Because these antibodies take time to develop, even a blood test may yield false negative results. Those who suspect they may have been exposed to herpes should wait from three to four months before getting a blood test. New laboratory tests can even differentiate between HSV-2 and herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1), which is generally associated with herpes of the mouth (cold sores).
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Other Ways of Transmission
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Even if your sexual partner doesn't have HSV-2, he can still give you genital herpes if he is infected with HSV-1. According to the Mayo Clinic, the spread of genital herpes by this means of transmission has significantly gone up in the past decade, as oral sex has become more commonplace. Currently, the number of genital herpes outbreaks caused by oral transmission of HSV-1 is around 10 percent. It's important to note that the newly infected partner won't have genital herpes caused by HSV-2 but HSV-1. Outbreaks caused by HSV-1 are typically shorter, milder and less frequent.
Herpes Outbreaks
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According to the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who do experience an initial outbreak of genital herpes usually note symptoms within two weeks of getting the virus. Initial outbreaks are usually the most severe, taking between two and four weeks to totally resolve. Those who experience initial outbreaks can expect four or five subsequent outbreaks during the course of the year. The reason almost 90 percent of people with herpes are unaware that they have it is because their outbreaks may be so mild that they mistake the lesions as an insect bite, razor rash, jock itch or irritation that results from sex. The Mayo Clinic surmises that HSV-2 outbreaks may be extremely subtle or nonexistent because a person is already infected with HSV-1 (of the mouth), which caused antibodies to form against other forms of the herpes virus.
Treatment for Herpes
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Regardless if genital herpes is acquired through the transmission of HSV-2 or HSV-1, treatment options are the same. There is no cure for herpes, but antiviral medications such as Valtrex, Famvir and Zovirax can reduce the frequency, severity and duration of herpes outbreaks and can be taken episodically whenever symptoms of an outbreak are first noted or used daily as a suppressive form of therapy. The Mayo Clinic advises that those who are sexually active take antiviral medications on a daily basis to help prevent spread of the disease to their partners.
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