Cold Sores: Who Can Get Infected?
Usually caused by the Herpes simplex virus type 1 or HSV-1, cold sores are small blisters that often appear on or around the lips of a person. These blisters are often painful and agonizing. At the early stage of the ailment, minute lumps appear that you can barely see by your naked eye. But in some cases, cold sores also appear on the person’s face, inside the mouth and even on or inside the nose. Generally, these sores can appear on almost any parts of the body including the genital area. But in such case, the Herpes simplex virus type 2 is often responsible.
These days, a huge number of persons worldwide are already infected by the said virus. The number is more likely to go up than fall down because HSV-1 gets to stay inside the body of the person without any cure at all. The virus is also widely spread as an infected person doesn’t always show its signs and symptoms such as the red blisters. Once you have the virus, there is a high possibility that you have already contracted get rid of cold sores since you were still young. This is often the situation in most cases as children are most vulnerable to infection due to close contacts and getting kissed by an infected person.
As the virus easily spreads its infection, HSV-1 then enters your system into the ganglion which is a group of nerve cells. It is in such nerve cells that the virus stays permanently and waits for its awakening. Sometimes, the virus only sleeps permanently without any reactivation. This makes it easy for infected persons to infect others as they don’t know that they are already infected in the first place.
The main cause of the virus’ reactivation remains to be uncertain. But then, it is most likely that the virus reactivates upon various factors. And some of these factors are fever, sunlight, cold weather, hormonal changes, tooth extractions, certain foods and drugs, and other types of infections. The activation of HSV-1 that causes cold sores is uncertain in most cases that colds are not necessary to have cold sores.
The virus that triggers cold sores is easily spread in a lot of ways. If you have contracted the Herpes simplex virus type 1, other persons around you can easily get the virus as well. Skin to skin contact and oral secretions like when kissing are just some of the ways to get the virus passed through. In general, infection is to spread more likely as even infected persons don’t know that they have already the virus. Other means of transmitting the virus to other persons include sharing cups and eating utensils, and lip balms and lip sticks.
For the case of genital herpes, virus is more likely to enter in the genital area among couples especially during oral sex. By simply touching the blisters and then touching other parts of the body, the condition gets worse.
The Herpes simplex virus type 1 is highly capable of infecting everyone. This makes no person to be immune from contracting the virus. Once infected, the best thing to do is not to allow yourself from touching, pinching, and squeezing the blisters. When it comes to the time that touching the infected area is unavoidable, refrain from touching other parts of the body.