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STDs (Expert Forum)
HERPES and clothing or other objects
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
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IMPORTANT
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Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum.
This forum is limited to questions about STDs other than HIV/AIDS. For questions about HIV prevention, or if you have general questions about safe sex (e.g., condoms, how to protect yourself from HIV and STDs), please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum
Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum.
HERPES and clothing or other objects
by CoronaRadiata, May 18, 2007 12:00AM
Hi.
Lately I am abit terrified of passing HSV-2 to my baby. I have a genital herpes for years and high positive IgG. I wash my hand after I use the toilets ofcourse, but lately I started to over react I guess...this is why I am asking you.
1. For example: If I have a lesion around the anus and after I weap it with a paper (after stool) maybe a virus can move up a bit (I weap from frontal to back), and then I can wash my hands and go out the toilett, and without even notice fix my T-shirt in my pants and by mistake touch this virus from earlier...Can I transmit the virus in this way????
2. Or even a towel...should I use a different towel to the lesion area?
3. Is the virus staying on the door when I go out from the bathroom??
4. How much does it live on a wet place?
5. On a dry place?
Please help me.
Thanks.
Lately I am abit terrified of passing HSV-2 to my baby. I have a genital herpes for years and high positive IgG. I wash my hand after I use the toilets ofcourse, but lately I started to over react I guess...this is why I am asking you.
1. For example: If I have a lesion around the anus and after I weap it with a paper (after stool) maybe a virus can move up a bit (I weap from frontal to back), and then I can wash my hands and go out the toilett, and without even notice fix my T-shirt in my pants and by mistake touch this virus from earlier...Can I transmit the virus in this way????
2. Or even a towel...should I use a different towel to the lesion area?
3. Is the virus staying on the door when I go out from the bathroom??
4. How much does it live on a wet place?
5. On a dry place?
Please help me.
Thanks.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., May 18, 2007 12:00AM
, May 18, 2007 12:00AM
You are badly overreacting. Transmission of HSV-2 does not occur except by sex. The exceptions are too rare to worry about. Children are at risk for HSV-2 through only 2 possible mechanisms: exposure during delivery, if mom has active herpes when in labor; and through sexual abuse. (There might be rare cases of transmission if kids sleep in the same bed with an infected parent, but even that is rare if it occurs at all.) The virus does not survive in sufficient amounts on towels, doorknobs, clothes, or elsewhere in the environment.
Bottom line: Continue to use common-sense hygiene (handwashing after toilet, for example), but otherwise don't worry about this. You also could confirm all this information with your child's pediatrician. But if you cannot shake these unreasonable fears despite these facts, you might consider whether you need counseling to understand why you are so freaked about it.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
Bottom line: Continue to use common-sense hygiene (handwashing after toilet, for example), but otherwise don't worry about this. You also could confirm all this information with your child's pediatrician. But if you cannot shake these unreasonable fears despite these facts, you might consider whether you need counseling to understand why you are so freaked about it.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
Have a great weekend.
You truly have no worries of herpes transmission in the household. It simply does not occur, no matter how you clean (or don't clean) and no matter how you use clothes, toilets, towels, etc. Herpes is never transmitted by the ways you are worrying about.
Your level of anxiety about this, despite all facts, suggests an underlying emotional issue, perhaps related to your own concerns about having genital herpes. I strongly suggest you express your compulsive concerns and fears about this to your personal health care provider and ask his or her advice about counseling. I suggest it out of compassion, not criticism.
This thread is over. Good luck.
HHH, MD
It have not crossed my mind that you criticized me and I know you want the best for me, especially under the circumstances.
As I said: If these fears do not vanished soon (by the way I have HSV for 7 years now and all of the above started after my baby was born...which can easily be conected to the anxiety of being a new mother...) I will definately do something about it. and I hope I am not developing OCD.....
Thanks anyway for your time.
Let's say that all my other fears are really unreasonable...but is there any sense to use 2 towels??
please let me know your opinion.
Thank You Dr.
That new parent anxiety can really be intense. Relax. Babies aren't anywhere near as fragile as they look--if they were, the human race would have died out long ago. Your kid will be okay, and so will you :-)
But if you can't let this go, consider therapy and maybe meds.
How come you have both 1 and 2 types? maybe it is because you do use one towel...:)))
RELAX about all this. You aren't going to transmit your genital herpes to anyone you aren't having sex with. You are letting your fears about it get the best of you.
grace
You made me laugh when you wrote about your kid's towels...:))
I am sure you agree with me that the underwear have close contact with a vaginal lesion (or in the labia minora area).
Will be glad to hear your opinion.
Moreover, I have started taking valacyclovir 500 mg per day, I read your article in Pubmed and saw you got to the conclusion that 1000 mg per day is better...and for how long?
Thanks a lot.