Those of us who have “genital herpes” are caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand we are ostracized by the minority of the population (about 40%) who don’t now have herpes simplex in their body, which is bad enough, but more cruelly we are often isolated by our fellow associates of the herpes community who have so-called cold sores (heroes simplex 1 of the mouth and face). Frankly the lack of support from the majority of the people who have cold sores irritates me a great deal more than the stigma put on me by unsympathetic associates of the uninfected populace.
Let’s face it they don’t know what it feels like to have herpes so I can cut them some slack. But for all those of you who have cold sores and carry on pretending that you don’t have herpes and who distance yourselves from individuals who have their episodes genitally rather than facially- shame on you. If it wasn’t for your unwillingness to come to terms with the fact of your herpes contamination, the herpes group would be a more united bulk of the populace far more stimulated to boldly go out into the neighborhood and reject the unjust and irrational stigma put on people with herpes.
60 percent of the populace have herpes. We are existing in a herpes nation. There is no reason for us to be a despised minority. If we were more united and more out of the closet we would be in a so much better position to encourage understanding and help from those who do not have herpes. We would be better able to inform younger people on herpes deterrence and herpes knowledge. We would be better able to reach out to the individuals with herpes who have had their self-esteem smashed.
Herpes is herpes whether you get your episodes above the waist or below the waist. It’s accurate that individuals with type 1 herpes of the mouth and face often have fewer breakouts than people with herpes type 2 of the genitals, but it is also true that herpes of the mouth and face is just as infectious, if not more so than genital herpes. It is also true that many people with type 1 herpes of the mouth and face shed virus without signs or symptoms and are giving many people type 1 herpes on their genitals from oral sex. It is also accurate that herpes of the mouth and face can propagate to parts of the body that genital herpes rarely ever develops to including the nostrils and into the brain, the hands and fingers, down the esophagus and into the stomach, into the eyes, and elsewhere.
For those who don’t have herpes and give individuals with herpes a rough time, I really have no words for you. If you believe that having genital herpes is an indicator of promiscuity or moral deficiency then you are possibly too far-gone for anything I say here to reach you. And for the record I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with promiscuity. I got my herpes in the context of a monogamous relationship but I wouldn’t really feel bad about myself if I had been contaminated by herpes through promiscuity.
How you got herpes is not relevant. Herpes is a virus and you can address it efficiently as soon as you forget about the naysayers, acknowledge that you have it and seek out the expertise to take care of it.
Herpes is a major problem. Not just for English speaker but for Spanish speakers as well so we’ve put up information on que es herpes and el herpes, too.