|
Asymptomatic Shedding
Viral shedding
for people with herpes
Asymptomatic shedding is very real and one
of the biggest reasons why it's possible for people with herpes to pass
herpes virus on to a sexual partner without having any signs OR
symptoms. That's pretty much what asymptomatic means: you can't see OR
feel that the virus is present and active on the surface of the skin.
The way that I have always explained it to people in order to keep it
simple is that sometimes the herpes virus will travel through the nerve
pathways to the surface of the skin. It doesn't always show itself in
the form of a
herpes outbreak that you will be able to see OR feel. But, it's quietly
active and present on the surface which is why 70% of people that
contract herpes did so from people that didn't know they had it.
I'm
sure you've heard by now watching those
Valtrex commercials that 90% of those people that have genital
herpes have no idea that they have it and for lots of different reasons.
Well, asymptomatic shedding is one of those reasons why some people have no
idea that they have herpes. It's possible that they unknowingly passed
it on to an unsuspecting partner this way.
Ok, so now that we have this simple
herpes definition out of the way I'm going to tell you what the
herpes books in my home library have to say about herpes asymptomatic
shedding. I'm also
suspecting that the reason why some doctors tell their patients not to
worry about passing it on when there are no signs OR symptoms is because
they are
unaware of the fact that asymptomatic shedding actually does exist for
people with herpes.
If you are someone who has a doctor that
is uninformed then maybe you can give them a phone call and let
them know a little bit about asymptomatic shedding. Unfortunately
doctors and
healthcare providers are not required to stay up to date on
sexually transmitted diseases. So, maybe you can help to educate them by
mentioning these medical concepts to them.
 Turn
to page 21 and start reading the 2nd paragraph. It says: Often, active
herpes infections are mild and not especially bothersome. Every so
often, most people with herpes have outbreaks so mild that nothing at
all is detected. This no symptoms / no signs recurrence on the skin is
called asymptomatic shedding - a period of virus reactivation so mild
that sores are not detected. A swab taken from the affected area at that
time and sent to the laboratory, though, would show that herpes is
actively growing on the skin. Thus, it is possible to transmit herpes
even though you cannot see a lesion. New data show that suppressive use
of
antiviral medication - taken continuously twice a day - may reduce
the risk of asymptomatic shedding by about 80 percent. Even though
asymptomatic shedding occurs less than 5 percent of the time, a person
with herpes who is partnered with someone who does not have herpes can
take one additional and very effective step toward
reducing the risk of
transmission: safer sex practices. The consistent use of latex condoms
to prevent direct skin contact during the latent state markedly reduces
the chance that an unrecognized recurrence might lead to transmission.
In addition, people with herpes should get to know the
facts about
herpes, so that they can inform their partners assertively and
comfortably and be able to explain the risks. Limiting contact to others
who have the same infection would accomplish nothing. Furthermore,
celibacy would do the world no favor. Indeed, in the long run these
extreme
measures
would do a great deal of harm, both to individuals with herpes and to
society at large.
 Turn to page 36 and start reading the last paragraph. It says: Latent
herpes simplex also can become active and travel the nerve pathways
without causing signs and symptoms of illness. In the medical
literature, this phenomenon has been called a number of things,
including asymptomatic viral shedding and sub clinical shedding. Here,
when we use the term asymptomatic shedding, we mean the presence of
virus on the skin or mucous membranes in the absence of symptoms. (In
strict usage, symptoms refers to any marker of disease - including not
only visible lesions but subjective feelings such as burning or itching.
Therefore a person who experiences
itching,
for example, would not be asymptomatic.)
Copyright 2003-2011 Yoshi2me .
Affiliates .
Contact .
Site Map .
Terms |
