Skin scrapings, tissue culture and blood tests can give information about HSV infection. Often these are not performed since the appearance is so classic for the illness. If you would like to determine if the rash is from type 1 or 2, tests can possibly tell the difference, but the problem is that sometimes the test says there's no viral infection when there obviously is one by examination. This is called a false negative test, which is common with these viral tests since they don't have enough power to rule out an infection.

HIV testing is recommended for those suspected of having HSV since the risk factors for HSV and HIV are the same. This is something to seek from your primary care doctor or the county public health clinic since an urgent care is usually not set up to provide the extensive counseling needed to educate you about the particulars of the test. A benefit from getting it at the county public health clinic is that some offer confidential testing where your test results are associated with a number, reducing the risk of inadvertent release of this very sensitive information to parties you would like to keep it from.

1. What is Herpes? Why do some people believe it's spread by sex, and some don't? What's the difference between Genital Herpes and Herpes Simplex? What's the difference between HSV1 and HSV2?
2. What does genital herpes HSV2 look like and feel like?
3. How can you get HSV2 Genital Herpes? Can condoms protect me completely from Genital Herpes HSV2? What behaviors put me at more risk of getting HSV2 Genital Herpes? Are newborns at greater risk of getting HSV2 genital herpes?
4. How can I find out if I have Genital Herpes HSV2? What tests are used to find out if I have Genital Herpes HSV2? Where can I go to get tested to see if I have Genital Herpes HSV2?
5. What are other diseases that look like Genital Herpes HSV2? What are the other possible reasons for this genital rash that I just found?
6. How contagious am I with an outbreak of genital herpes HSV2? How long can I spread genital herpes HSV2 with an active genital rash?
7. What can I expect in the future with this rash? How often am I going to get this rash recur?
8. When should I think about seeking care?
9. What are the available treatments for Genital Herpes HSV2? How do you treat genital herpes?