Can herpes spread if not breaking out?

Answer 1

Herpes can in fact spread when a person is not breaking out. This type of transmission occurs through a process known as viral shedding. However, according to a very recent international medical conference on herpes, it has been proven that the transmission rate outside of a breakout is extremely low: around 0.2-0.4% a year. During an outbreak, herpes is extremely contagious and any contact with the open sores should be avoided. It can also easily spread to other parts of the infected patient during an outbreak. So never have sex (or even masturbate) during a herpes outbreak. However, when there is no sign of an outbreak, the transmission rate is only about 0.2-0.4% per year -- so that means you can have unprotected sex with someone with no signs or symptoms for about 250-500 years, on average, before transmission will occur. Most transmissions occur at the very start of the outbreak where the skin becomes inflamed and irritated but does not yet present with telltale blisters. During this brief window of several hours, the virus is shedding rapidly (although not nearly the viral counts found in the fluid of the blisters) and these areas are visible, swollen or raised and typically reddened. So if your partner is infected, inspect before sex. Also, transmission can easily be hindered by careful washing of the genitals immediately after sex. Even if you have been exposed to the virus, washing and scrubbing (mechanical agitation) is often enough to kill the virus and prevent transmission. The pharmaceutical companies are now offering various anti-viral drugs to 'reduce transmission' when the patient is not having an outbreak. Well, I cannot say I would recommend this. The actual transmission rate is so low that these drugs only offer at most a 0.2% reduction in transmission. And these come at a cost that to your body that outweigh the benefits. However, most of the information made available to doctors and via the internet is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical interests and play up the fact that transmission CAN occur without ever giving any information about the actual likelihood of this happening. And good news on a possible cure: Peregrine’s Bavituximab targets cells that have been infected with the virus (as the virus changes a protein on the outside of the cell) and kills the infected cells instead of trying to kill the virus itself. This new approach is highly effective in clinical trial (approaching 100% for serious virus infections such as Hepatitis) and is exactly the same protein that is modified by the herpes virus. As of June 1, 2009, this is by far the front runner in probable cures for eliminating herpes from the body. http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/viral-infection-news/study-shows-peregrines-bavituximab-can-cure-lethal-virus-infections/

Answer 2

Herpes can't spread without touching. Herpes virus is spread by skin-to-skin contact.