Genital Herpes Research Paper
Genital Herpes
The history of herpes begins as early as ancient Greek times. Hippocrates speaks of the condition in his writings. Even the word “herpes” is a Greek word that means “to creep or crawl” which is the way that the Greeks described the way that skin lesions spread. In Roman times, the emperor Tiberius tried to stop an outbreak of mouth herpes by prohibiting kissing at public events and ceremonies. Soon after Tiberius, a physician named Celsus suggested that herpes be treated by cauterizing the sores with a hot iron. It is unknown how long Tiberius’ ban on kissing lasted or how long Celsus’ treatment was used, but both seem to have ended pretty quickly.
Later in history, Shakespeare is believed to have had knowledge of the virus. …show more content…
Genital herpes is often called a silent condition; most of infected people have minimal or no signs or symptoms. It is also silent in another way, too: almost one out of every five people in the U.S. has genital herpes, but shame keeps many of them quiet. The cause is a strain of the herpes simplex virus. This virus enters your body through small breaks in your skin or mucous membranes.
The illness is characterized by pain, itching, and sores in your genital area. Sexual contact is the primary way that genital HSV (herpes simplex virus) spreads. It is almost impossible to get the infection through contact with toilets, towels, or other objects used by an infected person, because the virus dies quickly outside the body.
HSV affects both men and women. There is no cure for the chronic infection, which may cause embarrassment and emotional distress. Having genital herpes is no reason to avoid sex or give up on relationships though. If one partner is infected, one can manage the spread of HSV by taking the steps to protect one self and his/her partner. In the past ten years, the number of people in the United States who are infected with HSV has decreased. However, genital herpes is still common. There are between 50 and 80 percent of American adults who has HSV-1 (Planned …show more content…
However, people with weakened immune symptoms may have more severe and longer lasting outbreaks. Having genital herpes can increase the risk of transmitting or contracting other sexually transmitted diseases, including the AIDS virus. A mother with open sores can spread the infection to her newborn as the infant passes through the birth canal. Genital herpes may result in brain damage blindness, or death for the newborn. The infection is more common in infants born to mothers who are having their first outbreak of active herpes infection at the delivery
The history of herpes begins as early as ancient Greek times. Hippocrates speaks of the condition in his writings. Even the word “herpes” is a Greek word that means “to creep or crawl” which is the way that the Greeks described the way that skin lesions spread. In Roman times, the emperor Tiberius tried to stop an outbreak of mouth herpes by prohibiting kissing at public events and ceremonies. Soon after Tiberius, a physician named Celsus suggested that herpes be treated by cauterizing the sores with a hot iron. It is unknown how long Tiberius’ ban on kissing lasted or how long Celsus’ treatment was used, but both seem to have ended pretty quickly.
Later in history, Shakespeare is believed to have had knowledge of the virus. …show more content…
Genital herpes is often called a silent condition; most of infected people have minimal or no signs or symptoms. It is also silent in another way, too: almost one out of every five people in the U.S. has genital herpes, but shame keeps many of them quiet. The cause is a strain of the herpes simplex virus. This virus enters your body through small breaks in your skin or mucous membranes.
The illness is characterized by pain, itching, and sores in your genital area. Sexual contact is the primary way that genital HSV (herpes simplex virus) spreads. It is almost impossible to get the infection through contact with toilets, towels, or other objects used by an infected person, because the virus dies quickly outside the body.
HSV affects both men and women. There is no cure for the chronic infection, which may cause embarrassment and emotional distress. Having genital herpes is no reason to avoid sex or give up on relationships though. If one partner is infected, one can manage the spread of HSV by taking the steps to protect one self and his/her partner. In the past ten years, the number of people in the United States who are infected with HSV has decreased. However, genital herpes is still common. There are between 50 and 80 percent of American adults who has HSV-1 (Planned …show more content…
However, people with weakened immune symptoms may have more severe and longer lasting outbreaks. Having genital herpes can increase the risk of transmitting or contracting other sexually transmitted diseases, including the AIDS virus. A mother with open sores can spread the infection to her newborn as the infant passes through the birth canal. Genital herpes may result in brain damage blindness, or death for the newborn. The infection is more common in infants born to mothers who are having their first outbreak of active herpes infection at the delivery