1. Genital Herpes
Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease which is caused by intimate contact
between partners, affecting the skin especially the areas around your genitalia.
Because the virus is passed between partners who are close, the virus is known as a
sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Herpes simplex virus as it is called has 2 main types.
Herpes simplex virus type1 (HSV-1)
Herpes simplex virus type2 (HSV-2)
The virus will enter the body through breaks in the skin or moist parts of your body
including your mouth, rectum, urethra, and vagina and under the foreskin.
HSV-1 is most commonly connected with infections to the lips, face and mouth. This
is the more common of the two types and can develop from early childhood.
Symptoms will include cold sores in the mouth, or lesions or blisters, and sores to the
eyes in the cornea.
HSV-2 is the more aggressive virus usually infecting people through sex. It is passed
between two people whilst having sex (vaginal, anal or oral), and even if the infected
person who has herpes is showing no symptoms they can still pass the virus on.
The virus can take 4-5 days to show after being infected for the first time, but some
people may not even show symptoms at all, not for days, months or even years. Once
the virus does show you will start to feel different types of symptoms such as,
Tiredness, headaches, just generally feeling unwell or under the weather, aches and
pains, swollen glands, pain in the groin.
This will be followed by itching or stinging sensation to your genital or anal areas.
The next stage is blisters or sores to the genital and anal area, the thighs and buttocks
which eventually burst to inflict pain to the sufferer. This pain will be increased while
passing urine and the urine going over the blisters.
Herpes simplex is a painful virus but especially so on the first outbreak, but the
severity of the attacks decreases over time, but do not forget there is no cure for
herpes, just a way to cure the pain and stop the virus from multiplying. Recurring
infections can last for around a week, and they will usually start off with a tingling
sensation, and flu like symptoms. You will still get the sores and blisters, but they are
smaller, not as painful and you can control them more easily.
If you start with any of the symptoms mentioned above then you need to seek medical
attention straight away, you can go to your local GUM clinic where you can be tested.
It must be considered though that you may not have Herpes, but some other STI, so
you still need to get yourself checked out. It is also imperative that if you get infected
with the virus or any other STI, then you need to notify your partner, straight away,
even if it is your spouse, or a casual sex partner.

2. Checks for the virus will usually be a swab of the infected area to extract some of the
fluid, and a visual observation of an infected area. Treatment will be antiviral tablets
taken sometimes up to 5 times a day, for 1 week. As stated earlier the medication is
really just to help relieve the pain and symptoms, it can never actually heal the virus
itself, but you can still ease the symptoms further by applying an ice pack on a area
that is infected for 1 hour. You could also take a cool shower or apply a local
anaesthetic ointment to further relieve pain.
To avoid any sexual transmitted disease it is always best to practice safe sex, using
condoms, not being promiscuous. If you are your partner are actually infected with
herpes or another disease, then avoid kissing in the affected areas like the mouth, and
refrain from oral and anal sex when the virus is active.