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Can Herpes 1 And 2 Be Contracted After Its Recovery?

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Posted on Fri, 29 May 2015
Question: Herpes 1 & 2 question

About a year ago I have taken Herpes test and found out I have herpes 1&2
I don't have outbreaks , so I cant even confirm how long I have had the Herpes virus .

My question is ,
For years I was deadly afraid of contracting herpes from sex workers
and I took all precautions to stay safe using condoms for all sexual activities .

Now that i know I have H1 & H2 should I be concerned about getting
Re-infected by someone else ? Or is it ,that once you have Herpes
you no longer have to worry about catching herpes from any of your
future encounters .
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
You should always use a protection

Detailed Answer:
Hello. Welcome back. Thank you for writing to us.
I have answered one of your previous query, so hello again!!

Screening test for herpes does not distinguish between type 1 and type 2 herpes and is usually reported as positive Or negative for both.
This is because the test uses both hsv type 1 and type 2 antigens.

Therefore positive against hsv type 1& 2 doesnt mean that you are infected with both of these. This is how the test is reported i.e positive, even if you have only 1 type of hsv, either type 1 or type 2.

Nevertheless, individuals may be infected with both hsv types i.e type 1 and type 2. This can be found by type specific hsv test.

Therefore, I suggest you to take a type specific test to know the herpes virus type that may be infecting you i.e type 1 or type 2 or both.

Regarding whether to use protection or not since you have already got hsv? I would say use it.
The reason being that you may be infected with only one type of hsv and therefore is prone to get infected with a different type of hsv.
Moreover, reinfection with the same hsv type may precipitate a clinical outbreak.

Apart from this using a protection would protect you against other STDs like hiv, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.

So you should always use a protection!

However even a protecton does not guarantee freedom from herpes infection because a condom covers only a portion of the shaft of penis and leaves a lot of surrounding skin exposed for direct contact during sexual intercourse e.g pubic skin and base of shaft of penis.

Therefore a condom reduces chances of herpes infection by 50% but does not eliminate it.

Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Neel Kudchadkar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Dr. Kakkar (19 minutes later)
My igg score for h1 was 5.0
And for h2 is 2.9

So this means i have both 1&2 yes ?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (15 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
You have both type of hsv

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

Yes this means you have both type 1 & 2 hsv infection.
Any score greater than 0.90 is considered positive.

Regards
Note: Consult a Sexual Diseases Specialist online for further follow up- Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Neel Kudchadkar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Kakkar

Dermatologist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 9612 Questions

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Can Herpes 1 And 2 Be Contracted After Its Recovery?

Brief Answer: You should always use a protection Detailed Answer: Hello. Welcome back. Thank you for writing to us. I have answered one of your previous query, so hello again!! Screening test for herpes does not distinguish between type 1 and type 2 herpes and is usually reported as positive Or negative for both. This is because the test uses both hsv type 1 and type 2 antigens. Therefore positive against hsv type 1& 2 doesnt mean that you are infected with both of these. This is how the test is reported i.e positive, even if you have only 1 type of hsv, either type 1 or type 2. Nevertheless, individuals may be infected with both hsv types i.e type 1 and type 2. This can be found by type specific hsv test. Therefore, I suggest you to take a type specific test to know the herpes virus type that may be infecting you i.e type 1 or type 2 or both. Regarding whether to use protection or not since you have already got hsv? I would say use it. The reason being that you may be infected with only one type of hsv and therefore is prone to get infected with a different type of hsv. Moreover, reinfection with the same hsv type may precipitate a clinical outbreak. Apart from this using a protection would protect you against other STDs like hiv, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. So you should always use a protection! However even a protecton does not guarantee freedom from herpes infection because a condom covers only a portion of the shaft of penis and leaves a lot of surrounding skin exposed for direct contact during sexual intercourse e.g pubic skin and base of shaft of penis. Therefore a condom reduces chances of herpes infection by 50% but does not eliminate it. Regards