What is Herpes?
April 22nd, 2008 | by admin |Herpes is a virus, specifically “herpesvirus hominus”. Simplex is a sub-category of that family. Simplex falls into five categories, types 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8. Generally type I infects the mouth in humans and type II affects the genital tract, but there is a substantial overlap. Type 6 and 7 cause an infection of infancy and Type 8 has been associated with Kaposi’s Sarcoma which is seen in HIV.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) has a vast presence in humans. It has been estimated that some 80-90% of humans experience oral herpes infections by the age of ten years old. Many will have an acute episode manifesting as infected gums and lips, causing high fevers, but most apparently have few if any symptoms. A substantial portion of the population has recurrent oral herpes infection, showing up as those nuisance little “cold sores” on lips and sides of the mouth, and occasionally elsewhere on the face.
