When Are Cold Sores Most Contagious?
Whenever someone mentioned herpes, I always assumed it was sex-related and the little kid in me panicked not ever wanting to deal with something as gross as that. Turns out, years later, that kid is totally fine with having herpes, but not the gross kind, because she learned that it is not sex-related. Well, not completely at least. Herpes simplex type 1 virus causes what we all hate to be true but oh so common: cold sores.
Cold sores or fever blisters are a common viral infection. In fact, they are so common that in the U.S., between 50 and 80 percent of people have oral herpes that makes them susceptible to cold sores. Cold sores are tiny fluid-filled blisters on and around your lips. After the blisters break, a crust forms over the resulting sore.
Sadly, there is no known cure to get rid of cold sores or prevent them, however, there are lots of ways that can reduce their frequency and their duration. Usually, they go away on their own in a week or two and they don’t leave scars, fortunately. However, they are contagious and can be spread through saliva or skin contact, and not only. The good news is that not everyone who becomes infected with the virus develops cold sores.
Most of the times, cold sores tend to appear in the border of the lip. The first sign that people report when they get a cold sore is a tingling, burning or itching sensation. Then, within 24 to 48 hours, one or more tiny blisters appear. It’s worth noting that the oral virus can also be transferred to the eyes, the skin of the fingers, the genital area and elsewhere. The virus is usually spread if you come into contact with the cold sore blisters or the fluid inside them.
Obviously, the herpes simplex virus is the most contagious when the cold sores are open and wet due to the fluid inside the blisters which can easily spread. However, the virus can also ‘shed’ and transmitted to others when there are no visible sores and your skin looks normal. A lot of people get the virus from someone who doesn’t even have any sores. Once it enters your body, it could take years without it causing any symptoms and that is why herpes is such a sneaky infection. Outside the body, the virus dies quickly, so no, you can’t get the virus from hugging, holding hands, coughing, sneezing, or sitting on toilet seats.
Typically, cold sores make an appearance in the corner of the mouth, but the virus could also get on your genitals, mouth, and eyes. Herpes is passed in sexual and non-sexual ways. However, it is so common that most of the people got oral herpes by the time they were kids. Is herpes always contagious?
Sadly, there has been no way to detect shedding, so consider herpes as contagious all the time.
When a person is initially infected with herpes, the virus makes its way through nerve cells to nerve-branching points a.k.a ganglia. The virus will stay there in an inactive or dormant state, completely not replicating or causing any symptoms. However, when the dormant virus does reactivate, it enters the replication process and travels back through the nerve to the surface of the skin. Given this, the infected cells on the surface of the skin are killed, causing blisters to form. These blisters are what we know as cold sores. There are certain triggers that cause the virus to reactivate, from stress, hormonal change, cold weather, or sunlight, to dental trauma and others. When the virus reactivates, this process is known as a recurrence, and recurrence can happen even if you have a normal immune system.
Although outbreaks of cold sores can be very painful and irritating for adults, they pass. However, cold sore infection in newborns or people with a comprised immune system can be very serious and sometimes even fatal. An Iowa newborn back in July 2017, contracted the HSV-1 virus from someone who had visited her days after birth. Both parents tested negative for the virus, so it was suggested that someone with a recent cold sore most likely kissed the baby, infecting her with HSV-1. The infection resulted into viral meningitis for the baby, leaving her dead. To be extra careful, make sure you avoid the following:
– Touching your cold sores
– Kissing/oral sex
– Sharing food, utensils, or other personal items that come in contact with cold sores
– Touching or making contact with a newborn or people with a weakened immune system
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