The question is: Can herpes cause scarring?
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) which causes genital sores or lesions. There are two types of herpes: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both types of herpes affect different parts of the body and they differ in their symptoms, severity, and long term effects.
HSV-1 affects the mouth, throat, lips, eyes, genitals and rectum. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and pains and swollen lymph nodes. These symptoms usually go away within a few days without treatment.
However if left untreated these symptoms may lead to complications such as pneumonia and meningitis.
Symptoms of HSV-2 are similar but tend to occur elsewhere in the body instead of just in your mouth or throat. They include swollen glands in the neck, armpits, groin area and joints.
Both forms of herpes can cause severe pain and swelling. If not treated properly, both strains of herpes can lead to death. The virus that causes herpes is called Epstein Barr Virus (EBV).
EBV infects cells throughout your body causing them to divide rapidly until they burst open releasing infected blood into your bloodstream. When this happens it’s known as a “blood stream” infection.
The site of the infection is generally red and swollen as well as painful. If the infection is on your finger or toenail it may also lose its nail. Herpes can also cause symptoms like headaches and fever, which usually go away after a week or so.
Herpes: Can It Lead To Death?
The medical industry claims that herpes is not fatal in and of itself. It is possible for people with weakened immune systems to die from the so-called “complications” of herpes. But what they don’t tell you is that if you have a strong immune system, then you’re unlikely to have these complications anyway.
The actual infection is fairly minor and easy to deal with provided you recognise what it is and treat it immediately. In fact, most people never realise that they had contracted herpes because the symptoms are so mild.
It is important to realise that the unfortunate myths about herpes have been blown way out of all proportion. You are more likely to die from a common flu virus than you are of herpes.
Can You Get Herpes From A Toilet Seat?
The short answer is no, you cannot get herpes from a toilet seat for several reasons. The first reason being is that the virus does not live outside the body for very long at all. Getting herpes from a toilet seat is hardly possible because the virus would die before it had a chance to infect you.
The other reason is that most people who have genital herpes get it from their partner, and they tend to know if their partner has sores on their genitals. This means that they could not have caught it from a toilet seat.
Can You Get Herpes From A Towel?
The same reasons that apply to toilet seats also apply to towels. The virus cannot survive very long outside the body and someone who has genital herpes would know if they had sores on their genitals. Plus, as we said before, the virus does not travel up the towel after it has been in contact with the skin of someone who has the disease.
Can You Get Herpes By Swimming?
This is another common myth, but it is just that: a myth. The only way you can catch the genital herpes virus is through sexual contact. This means that you cannot get it from bathing suits, swimming pools, whirlpools or even showering after a swim.
Can You Get Herpes By Sharing Utensils?
No, you cannot get the herpes virus by sharing eating utensils such as cups or cutlery. You can’t get it from sharing towels or from kissing someone either.
Most people think that you can only get the disease by having sexual contact with an infected person, but this is not true. In fact, most people actually get herpes from someone who does not have a visible sore.
The reason for this is because the virus sheds a few days before the appearance of a visible sore and a few days after its disappearance. This is known as asymptomatic shedding, and it generally makes up about 21 days each month.
Sources & references used in this article:
Level of herpes simplex virus type 1 latency correlates with severity of corneal scarring and exhaustion of CD8+ T cells in trigeminal ganglia of latently infected mice by KR Mott, CJ Bresee, SJ Allen, L BenMohamed… – Journal of …, 2009 – Am Soc Microbiol
Nonneutralizing antibody against the glycoprotein K of herpes simplex virus type-1 exacerbates herpes simplex virus type-1-induced corneal scarring in various virus … by H Ghiasi, S Cai, S Slanina, AB Nesburn… – … & visual science, 1997 – iovs.arvojournals.org
Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in herpes simplex corneal opacities by V Sarnicola, P Toro – Cornea, 2010 – journals.lww.com
The outcome of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in herpes simplex virus-related corneal scarring, complications and graft survival by MA Awan, F Roberts, B Hegarty… – British journal of …, 2010 – bjo.bmj.com
Corneal perforation in herpes zoster ophthalmicus caused by eyelid scarring with exposure keratitis by GO Waring, MB Ekins – Herpetische Augenerkrankungen, 1981 – Springer
Long term visual outcomes, graft survival and complications of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in patients with herpes simplex related corneal scarring by DAM Lyall, S Tarafdar, MJ Gilhooly, F Roberts… – British journal of …, 2012 – bjo.bmj.com
The outcome of penetrating keratoplasty for corneal scarring due to herpes simplex keratitis by Y Altay, S Tamer, AS Kaya, O Balta, A Burcu… – Arquivos Brasileiros de …, 2017 – SciELO Brasil
Late ophthalmologic manifestations of neonatal herpes simplex virus infection by M el Azazi, G Malm, M Forsgren – American journal of ophthalmology, 1990 – Elsevier
