Herpes
| Herpes |
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Herpes results in painful blister-like sores that appear on and inside the penis, vagina, anus, mouth or other point of contact. No cure, only medical treatment. Herpes sores go away but may return. Some patients have 4-7 flare-ups a year. Flareups are preventable. 500,000 to 1 million new cases develop annually. |
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Transmission
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Oral herpes is transmitted through kissing and oral sex. It can spread before sores form or after they heal. Virus from one person enters another’s body through breaks in the skin, genital openings, anus or mouth. Touching an affected area can spread the infection to other areas of the body. |
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Protection
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| Have sex only between attacks and use a condom during sex. No kissing with open sores. Never have sex with someone who has genital sores. NO SEX WHEN HERPES IS ACTIVE OR SHEDDING. | |
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Symptons
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| May have no symptoms but unknowingly pass along the infection. | |
| Within 1 week after contact painful blisters may appear on contact areas. Blisters dry up, leaving painful sores. | |
| Canker sores inside mouth. | |
| May include swollen lymph glands, aching muscles, fever, and headache. | |
| Blisters return when victim is under stress. Recurring attacks are less painful and heal faster. | |
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Treatment
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| Early treatment gives the best results. Treated with prescription medicine, ointment or capsule, which ease pain and shorten the attack. May seem to go away after treatment but it still lives within the body. NO CURE. | |
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Warnings
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| Highly infectious with open sores. The virus remains in the body. | |
| Pregnant women with herpes can infect babies: 3,000 – 10,000 newborns infected yearly. | |
| Excess sun, poor diet, stress may cause outbreaks. | |
| Women with herpes should have a pap smear twice annually because of the suspected link between herpes and cervical cancer. Continued medical treatment recommended | |
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