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 subclinical 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.)

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