Ask the Sexpert: Nov. 11, 2010

Dear Sexpert,

I’ve heard that there are herpes infections on campus and I’m surprised. Princeton doesn’t seem like the kind of environment where there would be herpes — it’s not the Jersey Shore!

— Well Protected

Dear Protected,

Like a lot of myths about sex, the myth that the herpes simplex virus only infects people with a lot of partners is pretty far from the truth. Even worse is the idea that certain types of people, like those on the show “Jersey Shore,” get herpes, while others, like Princeton students, do not.

There is definitely herpes on campus, though it is hard to say how many people here are infected because some people in the Princeton community choose to get tested at locations besides University Health Services (UHS offers comprehensive testing, and the doctors and nurses there will be able to diagnose you if you have the symptoms). What I can tell you is that genital herpes is common, with as many as one in five adults in the United States having it. Not everyone who is infected knows it, usually because the herpes virus can be dormant for up to 10 years before producing symptoms.

Unlike other sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, there is no known cure for herpes. There are two types of sexually transmitted herpes. HSV-1 is usually, though by no means always, associated with oral herpes; HSV-2 is usually, though again not exclusively, associated with genital herpes. Oral herpes, regardless of the strain, can be spread to the genitals, and vice versa. Oral cold sores are most commonly caused by HSV-1, and they can usually be managed easily by the immune system. HSV-2, which usually manifests as genital herpes, appears as occasional outbreaks below the waist and above the thigh. These outbreaks can look like sores, pimples, cuts or blisters, which sometimes arrive along with flu-like symptoms.

Herpes is communicable even when no symptoms are present, through a process known as asymptomatic viral shedding. This means that even if someone does not have any visible sores or blisters, it is possible to contract the virus through oral, vaginal or anal sex. Herpes can be spread through skin-to-skin contact, as opposed to fluid contact. Even though barrier methods of protection like condoms and dental dams (both of which are available at UHS) are effective at lowering the risk of transmission, because they only cover a select area of the genitals, the virus can still be passed from partner to partner. Drugs known as antivirals, when taken by someone who is infected with herpes, can dramatically lower the risk of passing on the infection. There is no such thing as zero risk, though, and even someone who has had only one previous partner can have herpes — even someone at Princeton.

— The Sexpert

The Sexpert is written by a team of peer sexual health educators and fact-checked by University health professionals. You can submit questions to sexpert@dailyprincetonian.com. Don’t be shy!