4 ms·

Judging from the content on the linked wikipedia page for Herpes Simplex it strikes me as absurd that one would categorize it with the simple cold.

bootlooped 8y ago
Although it's not curable, there are a lot of good, cheap treatments available, and many people can go long periods of time with no symptoms. Consider the line from the Wikipedia page: "Worldwide rates of either HSV-1 or HSV-2 are between 60% and 95% in adults." If infection rates are that high, it's probably not that big of a deal for most people.
- dpark 8y ago
  Most of that 60-95% is oral, though. Genital infection rates are far lower, at <20% in the US.
- burfog 8y ago
  It's also associated with Alzheimer's disease, which is a horrible way to die. It can cause blindness and death, particularly in newborns. I don't think it wise to dismiss herpes as just something mild or inevitable.
  - philwelch 8y ago
    Gingivitis is associated with Alzheimer's disease, too.
rjurney 8y ago
Everyone gets it. It just goes away, often for years. There's no cure. Like colds.
- dpark 8y ago
  > There's no cure. Like colds. Colds resolve in a few days to a week. There is absolutely a cure, just not one in pill form.
  - philwelch 8y ago
    Most HSV outbreaks also resolve in a few days to a week, and either never recur at all or recur extremely infrequently.
    - dpark 8y ago
      The outbreak resolves. The infection does not. And recurrence of HSV is quite common.
- burfog 8y ago
  No, almost 40% of us do not get it. This is not something inevitable. I don't have any family member with the symptoms.
  - icedchai 8y ago
    You realize most people don't get any symptoms, right? Many people contract it as a kid (a kiss from a relative) and their immune system suppresses it. Unless you get an HSV blood test you will not know.
    - yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
      Even blood tests are unreliable. IIRC, IgG tests are quite reliable but not every clinic does them. Many clinics default to an IgM test, which are useless[0]. The gold standard here is the Western Blot test [0]: https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/igm-blood-test-for-herpes-just-say-no/ https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/igm-blood-test-...
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  Speak for yourself, I don't have any form of HSV. One advantage to being a quiet friendless nerd throughout my youth was never catching chickenpox.
  - icedchai 8y ago
    How do you know? Have you had HSV blood tests?
    - newnewpdro 8y ago
      In my 20s. I suppose it's remotely possible that I contracted HSV since then without ever having any symptoms, but my understanding of HSV is that with all forms the initial infection is obvious so that's quite unlikely. We're not talking about HPV, which I (and you) very likely have wether we know it or not, without vaccination.
      - icedchai 8y ago
        It's more likely than you think. "Oral herpes infection is mostly asymptomatic, and the majority of people with HSV-1 infection are unaware they are infected." [1] [1] From https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simplex-virus https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simp...
      - jayess 8y ago
        I'll announce my scarlet letter to make a point. I was recently tested for HSV and came back positive for HSV-2. I've never been tested before so I have no idea how long I've had it, but it was a surprise because I've had zero symptoms. In fact, I figured it was a false positive so I got re-tested.
      - Eleopteryx 8y ago
        >I suppose it's remotely possible that I contracted HSV since then without ever having any symptoms It actually is. Most people are asymptomatic, or their symptoms are so mild that they confuse them for a pimple. https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes-detailed.htm https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes-detailed.htm

bootlooped 8y ago

Although it's not curable, there are a lot of good, cheap treatments available, and many people can go long periods of time with no symptoms. Consider the line from the Wikipedia page: "Worldwide rates of either HSV-1 or HSV-2 are between 60% and 95% in adults." If infection rates are that high, it's probably not that big of a deal for most people.

dpark 8y ago
Most of that 60-95% is oral, though. Genital infection rates are far lower, at <20% in the US.
burfog 8y ago
It's also associated with Alzheimer's disease, which is a horrible way to die. It can cause blindness and death, particularly in newborns. I don't think it wise to dismiss herpes as just something mild or inevitable.
- philwelch 8y ago
  Gingivitis is associated with Alzheimer's disease, too.

rjurney 8y ago

Everyone gets it. It just goes away, often for years. There's no cure. Like colds.

dpark 8y ago
> There's no cure. Like colds. Colds resolve in a few days to a week. There is absolutely a cure, just not one in pill form.
- philwelch 8y ago
  Most HSV outbreaks also resolve in a few days to a week, and either never recur at all or recur extremely infrequently.
  - dpark 8y ago
    The outbreak resolves. The infection does not. And recurrence of HSV is quite common.
burfog 8y ago
No, almost 40% of us do not get it. This is not something inevitable. I don't have any family member with the symptoms.
- icedchai 8y ago
  You realize most people don't get any symptoms, right? Many people contract it as a kid (a kiss from a relative) and their immune system suppresses it. Unless you get an HSV blood test you will not know.
  - yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
    Even blood tests are unreliable. IIRC, IgG tests are quite reliable but not every clinic does them. Many clinics default to an IgM test, which are useless[0]. The gold standard here is the Western Blot test [0]: https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/igm-blood-test-for-herpes-just-say-no/ https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/igm-blood-test-...
newnewpdro 8y ago
Speak for yourself, I don't have any form of HSV. One advantage to being a quiet friendless nerd throughout my youth was never catching chickenpox.
- icedchai 8y ago
  How do you know? Have you had HSV blood tests?
  - newnewpdro 8y ago
    In my 20s. I suppose it's remotely possible that I contracted HSV since then without ever having any symptoms, but my understanding of HSV is that with all forms the initial infection is obvious so that's quite unlikely. We're not talking about HPV, which I (and you) very likely have wether we know it or not, without vaccination.
    - icedchai 8y ago
      It's more likely than you think. "Oral herpes infection is mostly asymptomatic, and the majority of people with HSV-1 infection are unaware they are infected." [1] [1] From https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simplex-virus https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simp...
    - jayess 8y ago
      I'll announce my scarlet letter to make a point. I was recently tested for HSV and came back positive for HSV-2. I've never been tested before so I have no idea how long I've had it, but it was a surprise because I've had zero symptoms. In fact, I figured it was a false positive so I got re-tested.
    - Eleopteryx 8y ago
      >I suppose it's remotely possible that I contracted HSV since then without ever having any symptoms It actually is. Most people are asymptomatic, or their symptoms are so mild that they confuse them for a pimple. https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes-detailed.htm https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes-detailed.htm