Herpes Treatment Advice

I have herpes but my new partner does not. What do I need to know and do to keep from infecting my partner?

I would suggest that you start the process by locating your previous medical records to find out what type of herpes it is that you have in your genital tract. Presumably it is type 2, but it might not be. In some countries, type 1 herpes simplex causes herpes in as much as thirty percent of cases. The best information to have would be a previous viral culture that revealed what type virus that causes your infection. Standard office blood work may not be type specific and thus would not be the best information. If it is, in fact, herpes simplex type 2 that causes your infection, then my suggestion is that you ask your partner to have the POCkit blood test for type 2 herpes simplex performed in the physician’s office. This test is not available for type 1 herpes simplex, plus the majority of people are infected with type 1 already in the oral area. If your partner is negative, then repeat the test in about three months. If it remains negative, then your partner almost certainly is not infected with type 2 HSV. The test is not one hundred percent accurate, but it is close enough to give you good information. If your partner develops symptoms, of course, then ask your partner to consult a dermatologist or urologist for a viral culture of one of the lesions for herpes simplex virus.