[Question #8519] Herpes concerns

43 months ago

I feel I have an herpes exposure about 3 weeks ago. I went to a strip club where I got a lap dance. I have waited 10 days without any symptoms

The exposures were: (1) The stripper gave me a quick peck on the lip. I went to the toilet about 10mins after to rinse my mouth with water and also goggled my mouth with Listerine. (2) During the lap dance, I touched the skin surrounding the vagina but didn't touch the Vagina or the vagina fluid. I can't really remember if I washed my hand but I later went to urinate holding my penis. This was about 5-10mins after the dance. Is there any possibility of passing infection this way? Would you recommend a test based on this exposure. I have never had a cold sore as a child and up till date

Other questions I have about herpes are as follows;

For married couples that both have HSV without any symptoms, does it make any sense to use medication since they both have it?

Its been established that IgM tests are unreliable and its not advisable to take it. For those without HSV symptoms, is it advisable to take the Igg test as a routine test?

Should one believe a all Igg test results? I see you have advised some people on this site to sometimes ignore or go ahead for a confirmatory test

If someone tests for HSV1 randomly without any symptoms and tests positive, would you recommend medication for such person? If yes, then why cant we encourage majority of the population to test for HSV1 so they can all be on medication.

I am from Nigeria, do you have any idea on HSV1/2 prevalence in Nigeria or Africa? No one is concerned about herpes here and there are no labs in Nigeria that test for herpes thereby it is never recommended in the STD panel.

Lastly, are all Igg HSV test reliable from all labs?

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

43 months ago

I am so sorry I missed this, we are traveling and I apologize.

Did your genitals ever have contact with her mouth or her genitals? It looks like not.

I don't suggest treatment for two people who have the same TYPE of herpes, that is, both have either HSV 1 or both have HSV 2.

One should not believe all the IgG tests, no. There are false positives on these tests. Do you want to share some with me?

If someone tests positive for HSV 1 at a number higher than 5, then I think that can be relied upon. No confirmatory test is needed. If someone is having sex with someone who is HSV negative and you, for example, have HSV 1, then medication can be used to reduce the risk of transmission to a partner.

I don't know the reliability of IgG testing in your country, I am so sorry.

The prevalence of HSV 1 is 74% and HSV 2 is 63% in your country.

Terri

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43 months ago

Hi. No problem on missed messages. However some of my questions have not been answered as my risk has not been assessed.

Firstly, i'll answer your questions: No my genitals have no contact with her mouth or genitals as I was fully clothed while receiving the lap dance. Though, she was fully naked. I have also never been tested for HSV1/2 because I have never had a cold sore or any other HSV symptom.

Please see my risk below and assess the risk;

1) The stripper gave me a quick peck on the lip. I was furious and went to the toilet about 10mins after to rinse my mouth with water and also goggled my mouth with Listerine. Any possibility of passing infection this way?

(2) During the lap dance, I touched the skin surrounding the vagina but didn't touch the Vagina or the vagina fluid. I can't really remember if I washed my hand but I later went to urinate holding my penis. This was about 5-10mins after the dance. Is there any possibility of passing infection to my genitals this way?

Neither my wife nor I have ever showed any herpes symptoms.

There are no facility to test for HSV in my country. Blood sample is usually taken and sent to another country for analysis. Most doctors diagnose herpes by appearance and not test and tests are not recommended if no outbreaks.

For knowledge sake, Why is the risk of genital to genital herpes infection so high when having safe sex with condoms? Do condoms truly protect sex partners from herpes because studies have shown transmission do occur even when condom is used. How can this risk be reduced during safe sex? Can this be reduced by ensuring there's no contact between genitals during sex?

Thanks!

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

43 months ago

No, I don't believe that this peck on your lips is anything to worry about in terms of transmission

Neither my wife nor I have ever showed any herpes symptoms.

When we look at risk, we look at how often is there contact. The risk is way different between having sex with a condom once and repeatedly over years. Condoms reduce transmission from males to females by 96%, and from females to males by 60-65%.

I'm really not sure how one has sex when there is no contact between genitals. I guess that depends upon how you define sex.

Terri

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43 months ago

Thanks. Lastly. You say HSV1 Igg misses 30% of infection. Does this mean its misses 30% of positive and equally misses 30% of negative?

2) Can herpes lesions possibly be on a woman's breast? Can I get infected in the mouth by sucking?

3) How accurate is the HSV 2 Igg test? If one tests positive on it? Should it be taken?

4) You say only deep kissing can result to HSV1 transmission in the mouth and never peck on the lip. Does this mean children that acquire HSV1 were kissed inappropriately? or perhaps were kissed by adults with lesions.

Im still worried about the stripper pecking me. You have assured me its nothing to worry about.

5) You say not all HSV1 Igg are reliable. Is there a specific type I should ask for? Is it all HSV 1 testing that have 70% sensitivity.

Terri Warren, RN, Nurse Practitioner

43 months ago

It misses 30% of truly infected people, yes, compared to the gold standard western blot

If there were lesions on the breast, they would be apparent, not asymptomatically shedding.

If children get oral herpes, it is often from an unknowing adult kissing a child when they have a cold sore.

All IgG HSV 1 test miss about 30% of infections, compared to the western blot done only at the University of Washington. If you want a blot, I can help you do that at westoverheights.com

Terri

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