Need an eduation regarding Herpes...

[john_19]

I really don't understand Herpes. This is what I have been able to discover on my own on the Internet. HSV-1 is NOT an STD and basically the entire population has it. It can be passed by kissing and many other seemingly innocent ways. HSV 2 is genital herpes and it is spread through SEX and therefore is an STD. However, HSV 1 can also cause genital lesions.

This is insane! I had no idea!

I have this red sore on the roof of my mouth. It is small. I also get red spots on my wrists and hands that are not raised, itchy, or painful. They just look like discoloration. Could this be Herpes 1?

I am not sexually active and I haven't really kissed anyone.

[mirvus]

90% sounds excessive.  i'm inclined to say it'd be more like 2/3rds (60-70%) of the population has hsv-1.  hsv-2 is less common, though still pretty rampant -  about 25% of the population by some figures.

and no, you can't get either hsv1 or 2 from eating that sandwich.  hsv can only survive for a very short period of time outside of the body, as in maybe a minute or so.   plus you'd have to be assuming the person who made the sandwich firstly was having an outbreak, secondly that they touched an active sore and didn't wash their hands, and then made their sandwich.  in short, not happening.

[john_19]

Thank you so much for the replies. I just wanted to ask, was my analysis correct though? I read a statistic that over 90% of the us population has HSV 1. Is that true? Then why is Herpes such a bad word? Are they referring to HSV 2 (genital herpes)?
Can HSV 2 be passed in non-sexual ways?

I accidently took a bite out of sandwich that was looking shockingly similar to mines at my Job. The sandwich was in the fridge. I have no idea how long it was there for. Could've been hours. Could've been minutes. Could I get HSV 1 or 2 from this?

[WilfredB]

Oral Herpes sores are usually on the lips and not inside the mouth (there are rare exceptions).  The red spots on your wrists and hands don't sound like Herpes to me.  There is a form called Herpes Gladitorius (or something like that) that wrestlers get because the come into skin contact with the lesions, but it doesn't sound like that.

[mirvus]

no, i don't think what you describe sounds like herpes.  usually hsv-1 presents itself in the form of cold sores - hsv-2 is the one that starts out as a red spot, but it quickly becomes a blister and then an open sore.  the spots on your wrists and hands are probably completely harmless.  maybe something you handle on a regular basis causes some kind of mild rash?  but no, that doesn't sound like hsv-1.