Herpes: Can You go Swimming if You Have it?
If you have Herpes Simplex 1 or 2 which causes Oral Herpes - Cold Sores or
Genital Herpes then yes, you can go swimming.
Herpes is very easy to catch, but you need skin to skin
contact to pass it to someone else.
Herpes Zoster which causes chickenpox in
children and shingles in seniors is contagious via the humidity
in the air. Naturally it would be contagious in a swimming pool environment, but then
again, it's contagious in most places, and only in the incubation
period of chickenpox which is without symptoms so you don't know
that you are passing it on until it's too late.
Oral & Genital Herpes Require Skin to Skin Contact
Herpes Simplex has two main types:
- Herpes Simplex 1: Causes Oral Herpes - Cold Sores
- Herpes Simplex 2: Causes Genital Herpes
As stated above, Herpes Simplex is only contagious via skin to skin
contact. You can NOT get Herpes Simplex from going to the toilet, the
swimming pool, the beach etc. You can only get Herpes Simplex from
physical contact with the affected area of a person who has the virus.
For Oral Herpes this is typically kissing and for Genital
Herpes it is typically sexual activity.
Herpes Simplex is mostly contagious when there is an outbreak but also just before an outbreak and in the viral shedding period when the
virus reproduces itself.
Still Need Help?
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- Herpes Viruses:
Oral herpes to Genital herpes
I get cold sores (oral herpes) and I was wondering if it is possible for me to transmit my own virus from my lips to my genitals through indirect contact? Like if I touch my lips and then down there, then will it transmit the virus? If yes, the same thing is possible for other as well right? I can get the virus transmitted to them through my hands/ bedsheet or something?
Hey. If you touch an
Hey. If you touch an infected area and then touch another area on your body before you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water yes you will spread the infection to other parts of your body. I wouldn't worry too much about when you're sleeping. If you just have oral herpes and are sleeping on your back or your side there really isn't much risk as it doesn't live very long outside of being on the body. It's the direct contact where you then touch another area of your body before washing that you have to be most worried about.
hey what does viral shedding
hey what does viral shedding look like? is it flaky? will be cysts? or no cysts?
Often you don't even notice
Often you don't even notice it. Your skin will flake a bit if you itch it. You should avoid that.
going swimming in a river, tubing
Can you spread herpes, if you have an open sore, not yet healed, and go swimming in a river, or go tubing?
NO you won't be able to catch
NO you won't be able to catch herpes while swimming with some one that has it. Herpes doesn't float around in pool water, it doesn't survive in fluids very well. It's passed through skin to skin contact (ie kissing, having oral sex or sexual intercourse) with a sore or blister caused by herpes.
Herpes can be spread by any of the following real-life situations:
* Kissing someone if you have a cold sore can transfer the virus to any part of the body that you kiss them (including inside of the mouth and throat, or the genitals)
* The virus can be transmitted to your partner if you have active genital herpes and have vaginal or anal intercourse
* If you have a cold sore and put your mouth on your partner's genitals (oral sex), your partner can be infected with genital herpes. Consequently, oral sex should definitely be avoided if one partner has a facial herpes attack.
* People who experience an episode of herpes, either facial or genital, should consider themselves infectious from the first sign of an outbreak to the healing of the last ulcer.
* Occasionally, one partner in a long-term relationship may develop symptoms of herpes for the first time. Often this is due to one or both of the partners being asymptomatic carriers of HSV and not knowing it.
* A mother can pass the virus onto her baby during pregnancy or at birth. Having children is possible if you have herpes, please read this article Having Children and Having Herpes for facts and guidance.
* One kind of complication involves spreading the virus from the location of an outbreak to other places on the body by touching the sore(s). The fingers, eyes, and other body areas can accidentally become infected in this way. Preventing self-infection is simple. Do not touch the area during an outbreak. If you do, wash your hands as soon as possible with soap and warm water.
* Reports have been sited of possible transmission via 'Hot tubs"or "Spa Baths" but there is scientific skepticism as to whether or not the virus can be transmitted via inanimate objects such as toilet seats.
* It is generally considered that the spreading of genital herpes through inanimate objects, such as soap, towels, clothing, bed sheets, toilet seats, and spa surfaces is highly unlikely because the herpes virus cannot live very long outside of the body.
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