Question:
My sister who has herpes lives with my mother and my mother babysits for me twice a week. My two-year-old is potty training and I was wondering if he could get herpes from the toliet seat? I know usually this couldn't happen but he is two! Should he not be using the same toilet as her?

Answer:
Thankfully, herpes cannot be transmitted via a toilet seat, or virtually everyone would have genital herpes! Herpes can only be transferred from skin to skin contact, or more usually, via mucuous membrane skin, such as the mouth and genitals. The herpes virus cannot live on a toilet seat, and it is not present in bodily fluids such as urine.

The main precaution that your sister needs to practice is washing her hands thoroughly after any contact with her genital herpes (basically, after any time she goes to the bathroom, which she should be doing anyway for general hygiene!). Also, if your sister has oral herpes (cold sores), she needs to abstain from kissing your child, even when she doesn't have outbreaks.

(based on original question from user happynewyear)