Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Is Herpes Transmitted Through Blood

What You Should Know Before Donating Blood

How Contagious is Herpes?

Besides saving the lives of others, donating blood can be emotionally and physically beneficial. According to theMental Health Foundation, donating blood can:

  • Alleviate stress
  • Boost your emotional well-being
  • Prevent cardiovascular disease by reducing harmful iron deposits

Also, when you go to donate blood, you get a free health checkup. The checkup will identify whether you are healthy enough to give blood by checking your:

  • Hemoglobin levels

Failing the screening could mean that you have a health issue that you were unaware of, and you can seek help before it gets worse.

Donating blood is safe as long as you are a healthy adult. Since the medical personnel use sterile equipment for each donor, you dont have to worry about picking up diseases from other donors. However, depending on your physiology and other factors, you may briefly experience these side effects after giving blood:

  • Lightheadedness
  • Slight bruising, swelling, or bleeding where the needle entered your arm
  • Arm pain, numbness, or tingling

If you experience physical weakness after donating blood, it should pass after a while. You can speed up your recovery by resting with your feet up and drink lots of water, herbal tea, or broth.

If you drink or smoke, avoid doing either at least 12 hours before donating blood. Lastly, wear a sleeveless or short-sleeved shirt so that your blood-giving arm will be easily accessible.

Recommended Reading: When Do Herpes Outbreaks Occur

How Long Before The First Outbreak

If someone has contracted HSV but not yet experienced a herpes outbreak, truthfully theres no 100% accurate way to determine when one will occur. An outbreak can occur within a week of exposure, or years later.

First, consider that everyones body is different, as is their immune system. If a person has a strong immune system, then it can be possible for an outbreak to occur years after contracting the virus.

Whats more, some strains of HSV are more forceful and aggravating than others.

There is what is considered typical, and that is that people often have their first outbreak two weeks after contracting it. But this just isnt reliable, because its equally accepted that people can often have outbreaks after two years.

Thats why so many people will have trouble pinpointing when they got herpes at all. There are varied statistics and possibilities:

  • People who already had HSV-1 when they contract HSV-2 may be less likely to show symptoms right away.
  • Many people are asymptomatic carriers, which seems to be true more often with men, having no symptoms whatsoever but able to pass it on for decades.
  • Particularly for women, the first outbreak is usually the most severe and recurrences may be more common.
  • HSV-1 can be passed from the mouth to the genitals, and the outbreaks may be milder than those caused by HSV-2.
  • Some strains of the virus are less persistent than others.
  • 88% of people who have it dont realize they do.
  • Stress is a common trigger for an outbreak.

    Signs And Symptoms Of Herpes

    Both kinds of herpes cause outbreaks of painful sores on the skin. Symptoms of herpes include:

    Oral herpes sores

    Sometimes called cold sores, HSV-1 produces painful sores that look like blisters at first. They eventually burst and crust over. It usually takes a week to 10 days for the sores to clear up.

    Genital herpes sores

    The sores that appear in the genital area can come from HSV-1 or HSV-2. Like the sores on the mouth, they start as painful blisters, then dry up and heal over time.

    Other sores

    Although they usually show up around the mouth or genitals, herpes sores can appear anywhere on the body.

    Flu-like symptoms

    During a herpes outbreak, you might feel other symptoms such as fever, tiredness, or body aches.

    Not all people who have herpes have frequent outbreaks. Some people might have a single outbreak then never show symptoms again. The virus may stay dormant in their body.

    Recommended Reading: How Soon Can Herpes Be Detected

    Also Check: How Long Has Herpes Been Around

    How To Reduce Your Risk Of Contracting Herpes

    Because herpes is so common, millions of new people are infected with the virus every year. Often, new infections are asymptomatic, meaning you might not know that you have been infected for months or years after contact with the person responsible.

    If you do contract herpes, particularly HSV-1, its important to remember that its a very common virus. Its also easily treatable, with a wide range of highly effective medications available in the event you have an outbreak.

    With this said, there are several ways to lower your risk of contracting herpes, particularly HSV-2 :

    • Avoid risky sexual behavior, such as having sex with multiple partners without the use of protection.

    • If you want to have unprotected sex with your partner, ask them about their HSV-2 status and, if required, consider asking them to see a physician about getting a herpes test.

    • If youre not sure about your sexual partners HSV-2 status, use a condom to cover up the potentially infected area and reduce the risk of HSV-2 transmission.

    • Avoid sexual activity with people that have visible sores on their mouth or genitals, such as lesions that resemble small bumps or pimples.

    How To Treat Herpes

    List of all STDs and their Symptoms

    The traditional medical community addresses herpes by either treating the outward symptoms or trying to push the virus even deeper in the body so that outbreaks do not occur both of these methods are problematic. The problem with treating the outward symptoms is that it does not correct the underlying problem the herpes virus that is hiding out in the cells of the spinal ganglia. The problem associated with pushing the virus deeper into the body is that you will eventually have outbreaks when your immune system is low, and you are increasing your chances of developing dementia, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease later in life.

    So, one of the best methods on how to treat herpes and combat the herpes virus is to get it out of its safe hiding place in the spinal ganglia where it attaches to the cells DNA and replicates, sending out new virus-ridden cells that cause outbreaks. Since the bodys immune system will not attack its own spinal cells, it is imperative to use some other method to force the virus out of its safe place. Well, a little-known all-natural product may be able to do just that its called ResolveHerpes.

    Additionally, since Resolve is not virus-specific, it can also be used to detox your body from viruses that cause HPV , chronic fatigue syndrome, shingles, fibromyalgia, and other common viral infections this is not only a solution for how to treat herpes.

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    DONT MISS OUT ON NEW NS CONTENT

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    How Can I Best Learn To Cope With Herpes Simplex

    Some people feel distressed or embarrassed about their herpes simplex infection. Its important to understand that the herpes virus is common. For most people, herpes doesnt significantly interfere with daily life.

    To cope with negative feelings, you may consider:

    • Connecting with others through support groups or online forums.
    • Sharing your feelings with a trusted friend or loved one.
    • Speaking with a therapist.

    Take Precautions To Make Sex Safer

    Taking an antiviral medication like valacyclovir can greatly reduce both the number of genital herpes outbreaks and asymptomatic shedding. This makes herpes transmission much less likely.

    If you’re in a long-term, monogamous relationship, it’s important to talk with your partner about a herpes infection and how to create the safest environment possible. You can also talk with a health care provider about safe sex practices when one partner has a herpes infection.

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    Can Blood Test Detect Herpes

    Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can cause unmistakable skin injuries. Since such sores can likewise be the aftereffect of different diseases, it is extremely vital that you see a specialist, particularly on the off chance that youve never had an episode. Once youve had herpes, you can figure out how to perceive the injuries in the event that you encounter repeats. Be that as it may, in the event that you have more regrettable repeats or if the injuries appear to be unique than regular, at that point you should see a specialist.

    Herpes flare-ups normally show up as at least one rankles in bunches. The rankles may tear open to end up wounds. Mouth blisters are typically caused by HSV 1, and genital herpes diseases are generally caused by HSV 2. Be that as it may, either infection can contaminate either area.

    It is conceivable to screen for asymptomatic herpes contamination utilizing a blood test. Herpes blood tests search for antibodies to the herpes virus.

    You frame antibodies when you have to battle a disease, and antibodies can keep going for a considerable length of time or even a lifetime. For the most part, it takes around one to about fourteen days for your body to deliver perceptible antibodies against herpes infection disease. The nearness of antibodies is proof that your body has stood up to a contamination, either as of late or previously.

    Dont Miss: What Does Oral Herpes Look Like

    How To Prevent The Spread Of Herpes

    Herpes (oral & genital) – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology

    Although herpes is a lifelong virus that cant be cured, it goes through periods of dormancy between outbreaks. This means that while the virus is still present, its not actively replicating.

    During this time, you may not experience any signs or symptoms of having the disease even if youve had a previous outbreak before.

    However, you can still spread the herpes virus to your sexual partners at any time, even if no sores are present. In addition, although rare, its possible to spread oral herpes to the genital region and vice versa.

    For this reason, its extremely important to be mindful of the following preventive measures:

    • Tell your partners that you have genital or oral herpes. This allows them to make informed decisions about their own sexual health, and its the responsible thing to do.
    • If youre experiencing the signs and symptoms of an upcoming outbreak, avoid all sexual contact. Youre most likely to spread the virus to others during an outbreak.
    • Its possible to spread the herpes virus even without an outbreak. If youre worried about spreading the disease to a partner, research shows that antivirals are effective at reducing this possibility.

    Having oral or genital herpes doesnt mean that you can no longer have sex. However, its your responsibility to prevent the spread of herpes to your sexual partner.

    If you have herpes, you can still take care of your sexual health through open communication and safer sex.

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    Whats The Difference Between Genital Herpes And Oral Herpes

    Because there are 2 different kinds of herpes simplex viruses that can live on many body parts, lots of people are confused about what to call these infections. But its actually pretty simple:

    • When you get either HSV-1 or HSV-2 on or around your genitals , its called genital herpes.

    • When you get either HSV-1 or HSV-2 in or around your lips, mouth, and throat, its called oral herpes. Oral herpes sores are sometimes called cold sores or fever blisters.

    HSV-1 usually causes oral herpes, and HSV-2 usually causes genital herpes each strain prefers to live on its favorite area. But its totally possible for both types of herpes simplex to infect either area. For example, you can get HSV-1 on your genitals if someone with a cold sore on their lips gives you oral sex. And you can get HSV-2 in your mouth if you give oral sex to someone with HSV-2 on their genitals.

    Wouldnt Testing Everyone Stop The Spread Of Genital Herpes

    We dont know. There is no evidence that diagnosing genital herpes with a blood test in someone without symptoms would change their sexual behavior and stop the virus from spreading. In addition, without knowing the benefits of testing, the risk of shaming and stigmatizing people outweighs the potential benefits. For these reasons, testing everyone for herpes is not recommended at this time.

    By Linda Geddes

    A COMMON virus that can reduce lifespan and cause blindness has been cleared from human blood for the first time.

    Cytomegalovirus , a type of herpes virus, is carried by about 70 per cent of people and, although it usually doesnt cause illness, shaves 3.7 years off life expectancy.

    In people with a weakened immune system, however, the virus awakens and can cause serious illness and blindness. This can be a particular problem if the only available donor for a bone marrow transplant is infected with CMV and the recipient is not.

    CMV only expresses a handful of genes when it is dormant. One of them is UL138. To investigate what it does to cells, Michael Weekes at the University of Cambridge and colleagues grew healthy human cells alongside cells that were made to express UL138 in the presence of labelled amino acids the raw ingredients used to make proteins. They then used mass spectrometry to identify how UL138 changed the cells expression of proteins.

    Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Herpes Simplex On Lips

    If You Get A Positive Result Dont Panic It Really Doesnt Mean Much

    All of this is to say that unless you have symptoms consistent with the herpes virus, why put yourself through the emotional turmoil of getting a blood test that may or may not give you legit results? As Hutcherson notes, if you do get a blood test and it comes back positive but youre asymptomatic, what does that mean for you if you have nothing to treat? For many, due to the high rate of stigma still surrounding herpes, it can mean feelings of self-contempt, humiliation, and distress, all of which could be avoided if you arent experiencing any symptoms.

    To recap, while there are some tests for herpes that can prove correct, none are 100 percent perfect, and blood tests are particularly problematic since they can produce false positives and negatives. We also know that the majority of the population has some form of herpes, so IMO its a mystery as to why were still making a big deal out of it. No one likes blisters or sores, but neither does anyone love having acne, a widespread condition without the same level of attached shame.

    What Are The Causes Of Herpes Infection

    Herpes: Causes and Risk Factors

    The various causes of herpes infection are:

    • Herpes infection spreads from one person to another through direct skin-to-skin contact and is highly contagious.
    • Touching or kissing is the main cause of HSV 1 transmission, whereas, sexual contact is the main cause of HSV 2 transmission.
    • If a healthy person shares personal items like toothbrushes, utensils, spoons, etc. with an infected person, then he/she may also get infected.
    • Herpes infection can also spread through the eyes.
    • This infection can spread by touching the mouth sores of an infected person.
    • Having sex without protection can lead to herpes infection of the genitals.

    Recommended Reading: What Causes Frequent Genital Herpes Outbreaks

    What Are Universal Precautions

    Universal precautions are techniques used in health care and other settings that are designed to reduce the transmission of bloodborne pathogens. Basically, they say that professionals who are at risk of coming into contact with blood, or other potentially infectious bodily fluids, should do what they can to avoid touching blood, and blood products with their bare hands. Instead, gloves should be used whenever possible. It is also important to wash hands well after any contact with blood or other bodily fluids, even when youre changing your gloves between contacts. People might also wear masks or gowns if there is a risk of spraying fluids.

    Despite the need for universal precautions, most bloodborne pathogens, such as HIV, cannot be spread through casual contact.Casual contact is much more of a risk with airborne infections, including those that spread through droplets, such as the common cold. Thats another reason why frequent hand washing is a good idea. A cold may not seem like as big a problem as an HIV infection, but its a much more frequent one.

    Prevention Of Genital Herpes

    The best protection against STIs is to always use barrier protection such as condoms, female condoms and dams . Because herpes is spread by skin-to-skin contact, condoms will reduce the risk of transmission, but it will not protect sexual partners completely as condoms do not cover the entire genitals.

    Using lubricant with a condom during sex will also reduce the risk of trauma to the genital skin. This has been shown to reduce HSV transmission, especially in the first six months of a sexual relationship. Silicone-based lubricants are recommended.

    Remember that herpes transmission can occur when symptoms are present , but may also occur even if there are no genital symptoms through asymptomatic viral shedding.

    For people who have frequent episodes of genital herpes, antiviral medication, taken daily, helps to reduce transmission of herpes to a sexual partner.

    Also Check: Can You Kiss Someone With Herpes And Not Get It

    Can Genital Herpes Be Treated

    Your physician can prescribe different medications to help reduce your symptoms and speed up the healing of an outbreak. These medicines work best when you start them soon after an outbreak occurs.

    To reduce pain during an outbreak:

    • Sit in warm water in a portable bath or bathtub for about 20 minutes. Avoid bubble baths.
    • Keep your genital area clean and dry, and avoid tight clothes.
    • Take over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Avoid aspirin.

    Let your physician know if you are worried about your genital herpes. He or she can recommend a support group to help you cope with the virus.

    Read Also: How To Control Genital Herpes Outbreaks

    Book Your Herpes Test

    Herpes Simplex, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

    Better2Know is the worlds leading provider of private sexual health testing services. We will arrange a clinic appointment or home testing kit quickly, and deliver fast and accurate results for your peace of mind. If you have any concerns about your sexual health, please call our friendly booking team on the number above or click Book Now.

    Also Check: What’s The Difference Between Herpes And Cold Sores

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