eczema herpeticum

[Glen_stewartt]

This question might come about to be extremely bizzare but I will ask anyhow for my own education purpose and mind satisfaction.I came across in the internet about Kaposi varicelliform eruption or eczema herpeticum which affects people with eczema(I know I should not be relying on the internet but it was one of those things I just read unknowingly and made me all worried) . I dont have such a problem and I know it is rare but my father actually works as an allergist and might be exposed to patients with eczema herpeticum when they come to find out about the allergies which is causing their eczema. The thought of him getting something like herpes whitlow has been stressing me out! So my question is as below:

i) I know that eczema herpeticum is rare and I have searched all over the intenet to know how many of the population are affected by it? I couldnt find anything so I decided to seek professional help. I wanted to know how common is it, something like 1 in 100,000 or 1 in 500,000?If I know how prevalent it is I know that he is in very little risk.

ii) If there is no reliable data available of how many of the population is affected by this disease, I might just have a talk with my dad to be careful at his clinic for something which I read over the internet.

[Glen_stewartt]

A related discussion, Does saliva inhibit the HSV virus was started.

[Glen_stewartt]

Hi terri,

Could I get your opinion of the role of saliva in preventing transmission if possible from the study link I sent you. And we can close this discussion on saliva and inhibition of HSV for good. Thanks

[Glen_stewartt]

Alright thank you for the answer Terri. I have been looking around in the internet and came across some publishing about saliva having anti-viral properties in pubmed. So I figured that the HSV-2 virus could possible not survive in low concentrations by a simple kiss on the cheeks or lips. So probably that could be some of the reasons it does not pass on through a drinking straw to cause an infection.

I was just thinking of getting some expertly advice. Hoping to close this chapter and moving on with life.

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

HSV 2 is almost always a genital infection, not an oral one.  When it is oral, it rarely sheds from the oral area.  Herpes virus doesn't live long outside the human body on things like a glass or can.

This will be the last comment I'm going to make on this particular post.
Thanks
Terri

[Glen_stewartt]

Hi Terri,

Could you post the answer for the above question? Thank you.

[Glen_stewartt]

I dont know if I am allowed to post a question here or pay another $15 dollars, but here goes. I have been reading about herpes quite a lot since I found out its possible to spread it via oral sex and HSV-2 can manifest itself orally.

I am totally confused and worried about somethings which I just cant understand. For one, HSV-2 is said that it cannot be passed on by kissing on someones cheek(lets assume that it has touched the lips several times while kissing), another scenario is of sharing of drinks which all literature says that its close to impossible to pass HSV-2 when sharing a drink.

Then there is this thing about viral shedding, now surely with millions of millions of people sharing drinks and kissing on the cheeks, how is that HSV-2 does not infect the person. Even with viral shedding.

Is there some enzyme in the saliva which disables the virus? But then again its possible to spread via oral sex.There must be something which disables the virus which prevents it to spread via either kissing or sharing a drink.So whats the difference with oral sex and sharing a drink?

Could you help me to understand it much better so that I can put this curiousity or misunderstanding behind me. Thanks

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

Genital warts recur about 40% of the time after a first treatment.  Most people clear the wart virus from their body in 12-24 months.

Terri

[Glen_stewartt]

Thank you Terri for the reply. I am 21 years old and yes I did ask my dad on some of the issues raised here. Well according to him he does encounter patients with warts as well as herpes but its rare. According to him he makes sure he washes his hands after seeing the patient and mostly does not shake hands. I suppose the chances of him catching anything is close to nil.

Wish there was a vaccine for herpes, I am wishing for something to come out in 5-10 years time.

I dont know if I can squeeze another question in but its fine with me if this forum has to end. If you have genital warts do they keep coming back, or once it is frozen they do not reoccur?Or they can reoccur for a small percentage of people?Are genital warts growth a lifetime infection, like the warts keep returning throughout your life?

[Terri Warren, RN, Adult Nurse Practitioner]

I am not familiar with the statistics on this condition, but I do also know that it is very rare and is generally an issue for people with a compromised immune system.  

Have you talked with you dad about your concerns about his risks at work?  I'm curious about how old you are, also.  We, as health care providers, are always at some limited risk for picking up infections that our patients might have, but because of the universal precautions that we use when we have contact with patients protect us.  

I think you should talk with your dad specifically about your concerns.  I believe he will reassure you.

Terri