Blister near nostril on child

[blessedw2]

I have genital herpes and I have been terrified that I have/will somehow give this to my children inadvertently.  When my daughter was about 5 she had a small blister under one of her nostrils accompanied by a very runny nose and low grade fever.  The area under her nose was very red in general as well.  The redness was not uncommon whenever she developed a cold, she would have raw skin due to excessive wiping.

My husband took her to the doctor (an urgent care since it was the weekend) and asked specifcally if this blister could be herpes...he said no, that is not what this was.  No tests were done and my husband did not ask about what else this blister could be if not herpes...can kids get blisters from friction (excessive wiping) under the nose?

The blister went away in about 3-4 days, I don't think it ever crusted over, no bleeding.  She has not had another blister since and that was 8 years ago.  She is now a teenager and will probably start kissing boys soon, ugh, scary!  I was wondering if this is something I should have her tested for now that there is a blood test available?
And what else could cause a blister under the nose?

Thank you!

[gracefromHHP]

http://www.ashastd.org/std-sti-works/Herpes/oral-herpes.html  has terrific info on oral herpes for more reading.

once you hit school age, oral herpes is almost exclusively transmitted from romantic type kisses. sharing food and drinks is usually only a risk for infants/toddlers. once your immune system is mature, it's not as easy to transmit oral herpes.  

it takes heat and friction to transmit genital herpes. you could put active herpes virus on your arm and it wouldn't infect you even if it laid there for a hours. It has to be "introduced" properly into the body and it takes some vigorous rubbing to do that. not something that happens from using a toilet or a towel.  

[blessedw2]

Thank you so much for your reply and for the information to pass along to my daughters.

I think I have so much paranoia because I have read that transmitting oral herpes is relatively easy to do...by kissing of course, but also by sharing a glass or fork, for example.  This distresses me because it is NOT skin-to-skin contact and it is transmitted through an object during day to day activities.

Could you please explain why genital herpes is not passed as easily, for instance via a damp bath towel or by sharing a toilet seat?  Since both types can be contracted in either location (oral or genital), this is very confusing to me.

Thanks so much for answering my questions!  

[gracefromHHP]

your child was never at risk for your genital herpes.

could she have gotten hsv1 orally from a caregiver or playmate when younger?  Indeed she may have.  On average 1 out of every 3 children has hsv1 orally by the time they start public school.  Could it have been just irritation from wiping or a reaction to a lotioned tissue or something too?  Yes it could be.

so what do you do now?  Well since she is a teen, time to talk about kissing and sex (yikes!)  Talk to her about how std's aren't transmitted by kissing but common viral infections ( cold and flu germs ) and also oral herpes can be transmitted.  Talk about cold sores and to avoid kissing someone who has one.  also teach her to talk about cold sores before receiving oral sex too.  hsv1 is the most common cause of genital herpes in teens and young adults.  iwannaknow.org is a great resource for you and herboth.  Should she be tested?  I wouldn't bother at this time.  wait until she is older and sexually active ( or planning to be ) to test.

keep asking questions!

grace