Answer:
Dear
Harshit,
During
latency, the virus is not transmissible.
At times,
however, this latent period ends and the virus goes through a process
called shedding.
When
shedding, the virus begins to multiply and becomes transmittable,
but without any apparent symptoms.
Shedding
is an especially insidious stage, and studies indicate that asymptomatic
shedding with subsequent viral transmission to another person possibly
accounts for one-third of all HSV-2 infections.
Preventive
measures with genital herpes are:
Avoid
sexual intercourse if either partner has blisters or sores.
Have
the male use a condom during intercourse if either sex partner has
inactive genital herpes (especially important if the infected partner
has frequent recurrences).
Avoid
sexual intercourse until symptoms disappear.
The severity of symptoms depends on where and how the virus gains
entry into the body.
Except
in very rare instances and in special circumstances, the disease is
not life threatening, although it can be very debilitating and cause
great emotional distress.
Genital
herpes is a highly contagious infection.
Genital
herpes is one of the most common viral sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs) in the world but it is rarely dangerous compared with other
STDs.
Herpes
is potentially contagious when no symptoms are present. That is, a
person who has genital herpes is potentially always shedding active
virus.
Women
who have had genital herpes in the past don't necessarily exhibit
symptoms every time the virus becomes active, even though they are
contagious.
Genital herpes virus is particularly dangerous to pregnant women.
Genital
herpes can be dangerous for the newborn.
When the virus is inactive, sexual intercourse can occur without a
partner becoming infected.
Genital
herpes has emerged as a major risk factor in the spread of HIV.
It remains inactive until something triggers it to become active again.
The immune system is able to destroy active herpes virus particles
but the herpes virus has the ability to hide from the immune system
in an inactive.
After the initial replication, the viral particles are carried from
the skin through branches of nerve cells to clusters at the nerve-cell
ends, the ganglia.
Here,
the virus persists in an inactive ( latent) form, in which complete
viral replication does not occur but both the host cells and the virus
survive.
Infection
is not apparent during these periods. In many cases, the virus begins
multiplying again, and in symptomatic patients, skin lesions often
recur.
Arthritis
affecting a single joint has been sporadically reported as a result
of HSV infection.
Certain
kidney and blood diseases have also been reported in conjunction with
HSV infection.
HSV can
affect the liver and in rare cases it may cause hepatitis. This is
an uncommon complication in people with healthy immune systems, but
in rare cases can cause life-threatening complications.
Some
studies have reported an association between HSV-1 and 2 with a higher
risk for coronary artery disease.
People
with HSV-2 may have an increased susceptibility for sexually transmitted
hepatitis C.
