If you are like most people, you probably have gotten cold sores as a child. Cold sores are mainly caused by type 1 herpes. Usually, parents or relatives give them to their children by kissing them when they have a sore. This happens to about 80% of the population and is not usually something to worry about.
About 1 in 5 adults has genital herpes. Genital herpes is usually caused by type 2 herpes; however, it can also be caused by type 1. Only a third of the people with herpes actually know they have it! This means a lot of people who are infected have no idea that they have herpes, and are unknowingly passing it on. You may wonder how this could happen, since herpes causes sores on the genitals. How could a person get sores and not figure out that they have herpes?
The answer is that many times, herpes doesn't cause noticeable symptoms. Most people think that having herpes means you always get the sores, 100% of the time. If they haven't seen sores, they don't think they have it. In reality, herpes can infect a person "quietly", causing either no symptoms at all or symptoms so mild that they are interpreted as something else. Herpes can look like a yeast infection, irritation, pimples, and other things that occur on the genitalia. This is why people get it and don't realize they're infected.
There are blood tests for herpes, although many of them are not accurate. This is why Planned Parenthood, some doctors, and most health departments don't test for herpes when you ask for "all STD tests." There are a couple of things that can mess up a herpes blood test:
1. If you have had chicken pox, some blood tests will read positive for herpes.
2. Some tests can't distinguish between type 1 and type 2, meaning that if you've ever had a cold sore (type 1), then they will read positive for herpes, and you won't know if you actually have the STD.
3. Some tests give false negatives.
4. Some tests are cultures, meaning they can only be done if you are having an outbreak at the time.
There are a couple of tests that have very high accuracy. Three of these are the POCkit HSV-2 Rapid Test, HerpeSelect from Focus Technologies, and the Western Blot. The POCkit test can only be done in a doctor's office, and it doesn't distinguish between type 1 and 2 - but it provides results in 10 minutes. Information about this is available at pockit.com. HerpeSelect is very accurate, but it, too, does not pinpoint whether you have type 1 or 2. This test can be found at focusanswers.com. The Western Blot is an accurate test that distinguishes between type 1 and type 2 herpes. The only thing it won't tell you is WHERE precisely on your body you have the virus. You have to ask your doctor for this test.
For more information, visit the American Social Health Association's page on herpes, which lists the tests in detail. Also, read my FAQ page and click on my links.
