Herpes: The New Scarlet Letter? The Relevance of STD screening

Of all the STDs to catch, herpes may be the most outright anti-social. Hey, there are much worse things to catch in this big scary world, but a case of herpes lasts a lifetime and sometimes there’s no hiding it. Akin to the scarlet letter, this disease tags and mocks. Testing is the first thing a person can do to make sure that they are free of this insidious infection.

Whether you are a “player” of a “wall flower” you can catch herpes. Once infected, the severity of the outbreaks relies heavily on how you go about treatment. Some people choose to bury their heads in the sand (even to the point of not receiving testing once the symptoms are obvious) and others decide to fight it head on, visiting a certified STD clinic regularly for their meds. With the proper medication herpes outbreaks can be controlled to the point that the disease interferes very little with life in general.

The responsibility lies squarely on our shoulders as individuals who engage in sexual activity. If ready to grapple with the psychological nuances of having sex, we should be ready to deal with the physical consequences as well. With over twenty-five separate illnesses falling into the sexually transmitted disease category —there’s a lot of testing to be done if one wants a happy and healthy life. Herpes is just one of many potential threats. And in so much as its symptoms are obvious, it marks you as a sufferer.

What exactly is it we are speaking of when we speak of herpes? Herpes is a viral infection that includes many different strains. Today, when people speak of herpes they are usually speaking of one of two of these strains. The first one is called HSV 1 (herpes simplex virus 1) and this strain is generally known as oral herpes because it concentrates its symptoms in and around the mouth. HSV 2 is generally known as genital herpes, as its symptoms generally concentrate around the genital area. This can include the shaft of the penis, the head of the penis, the outer or inner lips of the labia and anywhere else “down there” you can think of. Thankfully, testing is available quickly and easily for both of these common strains.

What exactly are the symptoms associated with a herpes infection? Right off the bat one should know that symptoms are different in every individual. Sometimes, symptoms are so light that it can be said that they are nonexistent. This is rare, however, though it is true that the first outbreaks are almost always more severe than the latter ones. It is because of this (and other reasons!) that testing for infection makes so much sense.

Be on the lookout for symptoms to appear just two or three days after infection takes place. They may be mild and difficult to detect at this point. The infected area of your body, either around your mouth or around your genital region) may be itchy, burn or tingle. This is followed by an outbreak of red blisters. Once these blisters break, they form painful sores.

During this part of the infection you are more apt to spread the disease. Be aware that it is possible to infect someone else with herpes even when there are no visible sores present! It’s hard to believe, but it’s very true. Testing is the only way to definitively find out if you are a herpes carrier. If the test comes back positive, there are many behaviors in your life that you must change to protect against spreading the infection.

How is testing for herpes accomplished? There are different means of testing available for herpes. They include a herpes viral culture, the herpes virus antigen test, and the polymerase chain reaction test. Only a certified STD clinic can decide which testing method is right for you. Whether testing of the sore itself or a quick blood test, results are highly accurate.