herpes and my 2 children

my wife and i found out a few months ago when she gave birth to our new son that she had herpes, but that the baby came out negative. we never knew either of us had it due to not a single outbreak over 15 yrs of being married. we're worried if we get our 2 kids tested now and it comes back positive for anything they will be labeled in their medical records and be unable to get accepted to any type child care facility. how exactly does this work? meaning getting them tested and possibly the medical attention if needed and not alienating them from their friends and schools? any help would be greatly appreciated. we just want to know for our kids sake and health. thanks

[gracefromHHP]

There is absolutely no reason to get your children tested. We do not have a blood test that is accurate in children under 12-14 years either to make it worth doing.  If your children had contracted genital herpes during birth, they would've been visibly ill soon after birth and would've required hospitalization and been tested in the appropriate ways for newborns then.

How was your wife diagnosed?  do you also have hsv2?

grace

[texasskeeter]

my wife was diagnosed w/ a blood test and she has both hvs1 & 2. and neither of the children 1 @ 6months and the other @ 3 1/2 show any signs other than the 3 1/2 yr old having nose rasberries during a cold. i have not been tested but will be soon. the only sign i think ive displayed are lip sores occasionally when im in the sun too long and only once a yr. any other info helpful w/ the kids would be great. as you can see we are a little worried for the kids sake. is there any real cure to rid us of herpes? and what is the difference and severity between type 1&2? thanks so much

[gracefromHHP]

If you can get a copy of your wife's blood work to post here, I can see if she needs additional confirmatory testing or not.  I also recommend that you get tested to know your own status too and I can help you with your test results too if you need it. All I need posted is hsv1 igg 4. 5 and hsv2 igg 2. 9 or whatever the results are. It's most helpful if you just keep adding to this post.

Your lip sores are most likely hsv1 orally. Most adults do have hsv1.

No idea what a nose raspberry is.

there are no cures for herpes.

grace

[texasskeeter]

thanks for the info. ive been reading as much as i can on this lately. and im getting tested tomorrow. so how do we proceed from here? in other words, what necessary precautions do we use and the do's and dont's as far as touching and interacting w/ our children? my wife is obsessively convinced they have it everytime she sees the slightest little red mark or bump or pimple on either kid. im worried as well but she's so upset she's losing sleep and crying sometimes. i feel so bad at this point. is there any type of natural or prescribed medicine to help w/ the kids? or can they even take any? and at this point i dont really even know if they even have it. iam confused and lost at this point. cause if there isnt a test effective enough for little children, then how can we even know or protect them w/ ant type of treatment? thanks for any info.

[gracefromHHP]

Genital herpes is not an issue with your children. No special precautions needed from that standpoint. we don't have the kind of contact it takes to transmit genital herpes to our children.

Oral herpes can be transmitted to children. when you have a cold sore, do not share food or drinks with your children and do not kiss them. Also when you are sick ( ie a cold ) even if your children also have the cold, don't kiss them or share food or drinks with them just in case the virus is actively shedding at that time. In between obvious cold sores , the risk of transmitting the virus is pretty low. once the kids get to be school age, even sharing food and drinks isn't an issue any more because their immune systems are more mature.  

your children do not need any treatment. they don't need any testing either.  

If your wife is too anxious about herpes and the children, she needs to be talking to someone about it.  

grace