By the time you schedule an appointment for what may seem to be the flu can turn to a diagnosis of the Herpes virus already in full outbreak. This diagnosis can and will change the rest of your life forever. Herpes is a sexual transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. There are two types of herpes simplex virus and they are HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both viruses cause genital herpes. HSV-1 is associated with the lip,mouth and face while HSV-2 is associated with the genital area. Studies have shown that between 30-40 percent of the people that are infected have HSV-1. The research that I conducted will focus on the HSV-2. .
I polled ten college students in an effect to see how informed they were this sexual transmitted infection, STI. According to the number of people I polled regarding the herpes virus, none of them were infected with the virus and over 50 percent of them were very informed on what the virus was and how it was contracted. Less than 25 percent of them knew someone with the virus. Once a person gets over the initial shock of being diagnosed with the virus he or she can have a normal life. The herpes virus' primary outbreak can be from 2 to 14 days once it is diagnosed. The virus can lay dormant for days until visible symptoms appear. By then the virus aggressively traveled to the sensory nerve root of the spinal column. Most people do not experience any symptoms or they will experience symptoms that will not suggest being infected with the virus. When the symptoms do appear they can as the flu, fever, headaches and pain. Lesions or blisters start to appear around the genital area. These lesions will burst and become painful and usually take two to four weeks to heal. While the infection can be contracted when there are not symptoms of an outbreak one should avoid direct contact with any lesions that will appear.
Having herpes can cause health problems, some of them can become more severe, depending upon the person's immune system.