Welcome to the Herpes Viruses Association (HVA). We are here to help people who have herpes simplex genitally (or facially, called 'cold sores') to help themselves. For the related condition, herpes zoster, please go to the Shingles Support Society web site.
Choose a page from the list on the blue bar to the left. You can click here for information on the other six herpes viruses (there are eight in all).
If you want to know about the very common (but often feared) herpes simplex virus - the cause of genital herpes - this on-line resource can help you. The HVA can answer any question you may have. For extra support and regular updates, you subscribe on line here. Or you can post in a cheque with the information we require: name, address, leaflets needed. Short answers can be given by email but complex questions might need the help of a telephone helpline volunteer.
(Take a look at the What's New page for details of the new vaccine trial now recruiting volunteers in London and a how to get a FREE sample of LomaBrit salve - which can be used anywhere on the body where you get a sore...)
What other 'herpes' sites don't tell you
- Most people have herpes simplex - 70% have facial herpes (cold sores) and 10% have genital herpes in the UK. These figures are even higher in other countries including the USA and the developing world.
- Three quarters don't know they have it: 1 in 4 will have no symptoms; 2 in 4 will have only mild symptoms and are unlikely to be diagnosed; 1 in 4 will have more noticeable symptoms and will be diagnosed.
- Herpes simplex is seldom of any medical importance - some people are quite ill when they catch it but so are some people who catch flu.
- It is not incurable - your immune system cures it very well and stops recurrences for most people.
- There are good treatment methods for the unlucky few - medication or herbal treatments and improved lifestyle management.
- It's not the only infection that stays with us once we catch it - chickenpox and glandular fever also hide in the body but no one makes a fuss about them.
Other web sites may exaggerate the worst cases and seek to make you believe herpes is a big deal. Don't be fooled. It's as big a deal as you want to make it. You don't have to worry about it. Join the HVA if you are worried and we'll help you not to be. We arrange workshops as well as social events.
Dr George Kinghorn, GU consultant in Sheffield told us: "What I am suggesting to you is that to be infected with a herpes simplex virus is a state of normality. We tend to make this into a big deal instead of to say that to be infected with herpes virus is something that happens to all adults, some with symptoms and some of us without." Read the full text of Dr Kinghorn's talk here.
Read this first: If you have not been diagnosed with herpes simplex, do not jump to conclusions. Herpes simplex can appear in various ways so the best way to be sure about what you have is to get a swab test done at a clinic of genito-urinary medicine (or Sexual Health Department) at your nearest general hospital or search here. Do note that we cannot diagnose what might be affecting you by email or on the telephone helpline.
Still have questions? We have answers.
There are eight human herpesviruses. (Medical texts refer to herpesvirus as one word.) Also, every animal species that has been investigated also has its own herpesvirus. What these viruses all have in common is the ability to hide out in the body without causing symptoms, and then reappear at a later date. The human herpesvirus family includes:
1. herpes simplex virus type 1 (cold sores and whitlows on fingers and hands, also half new cases of genital herpes)
2. herpes simplex virus type 2 (genital sores, also sometimes cold sores and whitlows)
The other viruses caught quite different illnesses. These are:
3. varicella-zoster virus (also called herpes varicella/chickenpox and herpes zoster/shingles)
4. Epstein Barr virus (often abbreviated to EBV)
5. cytomegalovirus (CMV)
6. human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6)
7. human herpesvirus 7 (HHV7)
8. human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8 or it can be called KSHV - see below)
1 - Herpes simplex virus type 1 (short version - see also cold sores):
How common? By age 15 around 25% of UK population, by age 30 around 50%. The rates are much higher in other countries.
How is it caught? By direct skin contact with the affected part, when the virus is active.
How long before it appears (incubation period)? 4 or 5 days is usual, but it could be as soon as 2 days or as long as two weeks - or even longer.
What does it cause? Often nothing, at its most obvious it causes a flu-like illness followed by blisters or ulcers on the affected skin. If it recurs, there are likely to be fewer blisters.
2. Herpes simplex virus type 2 (short version - see also our Frequently asked questions):
How common? Around 25% of the sexually active UK population. Over the whole country between 3% and 10%. The rates are much higher in other countries.
How is it caught? By direct skin contact with the affected part, when the virus is active.
How long before it appears (incubation period)? 4 or 5 days is usual, but it could be as soon as 2 days or as long as two weeks - or even longer.
What does it cause? Often nothing, at its most obvious it causes a flu-like illness followed by blisters or ulcers on the affected skin. If it recurs, there are likely to be fewer blisters.
3. Varicella-zoster virus (short version - see also our shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia pages):
How common? Almost 100% of UK population by adulthood. However in tropical countries the rates are much lower.
How is it caught? Chickenpox is caught like flu: virus floats in the air, from the breath of an infected person.
When it returns it is called shingles. No one can catch shingles, but if you have not had chickenpox and you have skin contact with shingles, you can catch chickenpox.
How long before it appears (incubation period)? Two weeks is usual, but it could be as soon as 7 days or as long as 23 days.
What does it cause? A flu-like illness followed by blisters over the body. If it recurs, as shingles, the blisters will be a restricted area, often around the ribs. Older people may develop post-herpetic neuralgia, a pain the nerves that may be severe and may last for months or year. See our pages on how this is
treated.
4. Epstein Barr virus (EBV, also called glandular fever, mononucleosis, mono, kissing disease):
How common? Virtually everybody worldwide.
How is it caught? Saliva.
How long before it appears (incubation period)?
What does it cause? In babies and children, the symptoms are often so mild that they are not noticed. In teenagers and adults it causes a fever, swollen glands, aching joints and it may cause ongoing fatigue. If it recurs, it will cause the same symptoms but they will not be as strong and will not last as long. People on drugs following organ transplants may suffer from ill-health caused by this virus. If a news report features 'herpes' and 'cancer', it is usually about EBV as this very occasionally causes Hodgkin's lymphoma or nasopharyngeal cancer. These are most likely to occur in children with malaria in tropical countries and in adults in China.
5. Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
How common? Half the population has CMV by a young age, with higher rates of infection in poorer areas.
How is it caught? The virus is present in saliva, breast milk and other secretions.
How long before it appears (incubation period)? ... to be completed ...
What does it cause? In adults, it is usually caught with no symptoms at all. Sometimes it causes the same symptoms as a mild glandular fever (see above).
6. Human herpesvirus 6 (roseola infantum/exanthem subitum)
How common? By the age of 2, almost all babies have type 6B virus.
How is it caught? Saliva, and, in older people, possibly semen and other secretions.
How long before it appears (incubation period)? 5 to 15 days.
What does it cause? There are two types 6A and 6B. Type 6A has not been shown to cause any disease. Type 6B causes roseola in babies between 6 months and 1 year old. It is usually a mild infection, which is self-limiting. Symptoms include a fever lasting for a few days, swollen glands and normally a mild rash which appears after the fever goes. Occasionally children will have a swollen liver. Is is a major cause of fever induced seizures in babies. Since it is usually caught in childhood it is rare for adults to get this virus. If they do it is a more serious illness than in babies. HHV-6B has rarely been associated with a variety of viral illnesses, including mononucleosis syndromes, focal encephalitis, and pneumonitis.
7. Human herpesvirus 7:
How common? By the age of 3, almost all children have HHV-7.
How is it caught? Saliva, and, in older people, possibly semen and other secretions.
What does it cause? Check back later when more information on this virus has been added to the website.
8. Human herpesvirus 8 (also called Karposi's sarcoma herpes virus or KSHV)
How common? This virus is quite common in some parts of the world. In Europe and the US it is not very common - under 10% have it.
Check back later when more information on this virus has been added to the website.
How is it caught?
How long before it appears (incubation period)?
What does it cause? This virus features in stories about 'herpes' and 'cancer' as it has been found to be a cause of Karposi's sarcoma - a skin cancer found in people with AIDS.
To find a clinic of genito-urinary medicine (often called Sexual Health Department), you can phone your nearest general hospital or search here.
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