Allen Carbon wrote:
In the U.S: 54% of 14-49 people have Herpes simplex 1.
Worldwide: 60%-90%
80% of people with Herpes don't know about it.
haha! Who here has it? it's a safe environment.

YOU!

Vintagevista wrote:
So, a large percentage of the population that have had cold sores are just lumped in those statistics?

Well, yes. Because "cold sores" are the physical presentation of herpes, usually simplex 1.  Even if you've only had one cold sore in your life, it simply means that you're not having outbreaks, you still have herpes. It doesn't go away, you don't become non-contagious, only less likely to spread it. If you've got the infection in your body then yeah you belong in the statistic.

Chickenpox however is not herpes, so no, people with chickenpox are not being lumped into the statistic.

Chuckarelei wrote:

YOU!

nope i get regular check ups and give blood every 4 months. I'm great!

Allen Carbon wrote:

Lol is chicken pox herpes?! I didn't know! see everyone. These are fun facts. Let's have fun with them.

The main recognisable symptom of chicken pox is blisters on the skin, once you've had chicken pox you're infected for life and could suffer a flare up (shingles) later in life. Sounds just like herpes (because it is).

Keith NYC wrote:

Yup, cold sores and/or chicken pox. I really don't know the stats but I would be willing to bet that a significant percentage of people with herpes did not receive it sexually.

HSV1 is largely caught in childhood.

Laura UnBound wrote:
Well, yes. Because "cold sores" are the physical presentation of herpes, usually simplex 1.  Even if you've only had one cold sore in your life, it simply means that you're not having outbreaks, you still have herpes. It doesn't go away, you don't become non-contagious, only less likely to spread it. If you've got the infection in your body then yeah you belong in the statistic.

Chickenpox however is not herpes, so no, people with chickenpox are not being lumped into the statistic.

Chicken pox is caused by the varicella zoster virus.

It's not HSV1 though.

And HSV1 is not HSV2.

But they are all herpes viruses.

Robb Mann wrote:

You can get paid, depending on where you donate. I usually give at blood drives at work. I get paid in orange juice and a small pack of dry chocolate chip cookies. Occasionally I get something cool like a red-cross or MASH style insulated bag, but my sister claims those.

My blood donation center is deluxe!  We get fresh popcorn, orange juice, a variety of soft drinks, those little bite size candy bars and cookies.  If you want cash for your blood, there's a place in the sketchy part of town with even sketchier donors...

JadeDRed wrote:

Chicken pox is caused by the varicella zoster virus.

It's not HSV1 though.

And HSV1 is not HSV2.

But they are all herpes viruses.

Right. I know that. You know that.


We also know that nobody except perhaps doctors and scientists calls anything but hsv 1 and 2 "herpes" despite that being the family name. Nobody ever goes "look at the herpes all over that child!" When referring to chickenpox or "shit I hate having this herpes outbreak" when talking about shingles. They'd probably fight you tooth and nail if you tried to tell them they have herpes without fully explaining because "herpes" colloquially refers to hsv 1 and 2. When googling how many have "herpes" the whole first page including results from the cdc focus on oral and genital herpes, they're not including chickenpox, mono, and the other one I can't pronounce in their stats.

Allen Carbon wrote:

nope i get regular check ups and give blood every 4 months. I'm great!

FYI...HSV1 and HSV2 are not checked for at regular checkups.  Ever.  You must specifically request testing for it, separate from any other standard battery of STD tests.  Also, giving blood has nothing to do with HSV in any way, shape, or form.  HSV is not transmitted through the blood, or through any other bodily fluids (other than from the sores, or from asymptomatic shedding).  It's a DNA virus that lives in the internal cells of the body, attaching themselves to the cells around it, restructuring the DNA of a particular strand.  At certain times (stress/meds/sunlight), the virus makes its way to the surface, causing the sores most often associated with it.

DivaEroticus wrote:
FYI...HSV1 and HSV2 are not checked for at regular checkups.  Ever.  You must specifically request testing for it, separate from any other standard battery of STD tests.  Also, giving blood has nothing to do with HSV in any way, shape, or form.  HSV is not transmitted through the blood, or through any other bodily fluids (other than from the sores, or from asymptomatic shedding).  It's a DNA virus that lives in the internal cells of the body, attaching themselves to the cells around it, restructuring the DNA of a particular strand.  At certain times (stress/meds/sunlight), the virus makes its way to the surface, causing the sores most often associated with it.

And when you request an HSV panel they probably will refuse, especially if you're not in the middle of an outbreak, because it costs them money and they'd rather you not know and spread an already common and manageable disease than live with the stigma and weight of knowing. Plus theres a chance for false positives, and they're worried that if you get a false positive you'll have ruined your life for the weeks you have to spend before retesting. You could tell them you JUST had unprotected sex with someone in a full-blown outbreak and they will tell you to come back if you start having outbreaks so they can write you a prescription, but to otherwise not worry about it and wear condoms.

You wanna pretend theres no stigma around it, but your medical professionals will not test you for it specifically because they're afraid for you if you were to test positive, because they've watched it nonsensically crush peoples lives.

If you do manage to talk your doctor into testing, you'll then have to talk them into the even more specific test to tell you which strain you have, as the standard is just a "yes or no", not "hsv 1 or hsv 2", and they won't want to bother with that either.

Apodyopsis wrote:

And when you request an HSV panel they probably will refuse, especially if you're not in the middle of an outbreak, because it costs them money and they'd rather you not know and spread an already common and manageable disease than live with the stigma and weight of knowing. Plus theres a chance for false positives, and they're worried that if you get a false positive you'll have ruined your life for the weeks you have to spend before retesting. You could tell them you JUST had unprotected sex with someone in a full-blown outbreak and they will tell you to come back if you start having outbreaks so they can write you a prescription, but to otherwise not worry about it and wear condoms.

You wanna pretend theres no stigma around it, but your medical professionals will not test you for it specifically because they're afraid for you if you were to test positive, because they've watched it nonsensically crush peoples lives.

If you do manage to talk your doctor into testing, you'll then have to talk them into the even more specific test to tell you which strain you have, as the standard is just a "yes or no", not "hsv 1 or hsv 2", and they won't want to bother with that either.

QFT

Laura UnBound wrote:

Right. I know that. You know that.


We also know that nobody except perhaps doctors and scientists calls anything but hsv 1 and 2 "herpes" despite that being the family name. Nobody ever goes "look at the herpes all over that child!" When referring to chickenpox or "shit I hate having this herpes outbreak" when talking about shingles. They'd probably fight you tooth and nail if you tried to tell them they have herpes without fully explaining because "herpes" colloquially refers to hsv 1 and 2. When googling how many have "herpes" the whole first page including results from the cdc focus on oral and genital herpes, they're not including chickenpox, mono, and the other one I can't pronounce in their stats.

Actually we don't colloquially call anything other than genital herpes (usually HSV2) herpes, we have the lovely term cold sore and people would likewise fight you tooth and nail if you suggested their facial blisters were "herpes". Still is though.

I'm surprised at shingles though, I thought Americans called it Herpes Zoster. We don't.

Apodyopsis wrote:

And when you request an HSV panel they probably will refuse, especially if you're not in the middle of an outbreak, because it costs them money and they'd rather you not know and spread an already common and manageable disease than live with the stigma and weight of knowing. Plus theres a chance for false positives, and they're worried that if you get a false positive you'll have ruined your life for the weeks you have to spend before retesting. You could tell them you JUST had unprotected sex with someone in a full-blown outbreak and they will tell you to come back if you start having outbreaks so they can write you a prescription, but to otherwise not worry about it and wear condoms.

You wanna pretend theres no stigma around it, but your medical professionals will not test you for it specifically because they're afraid for you if you were to test positive, because they've watched it nonsensically crush peoples lives.

If you do manage to talk your doctor into testing, you'll then have to talk them into the even more specific test to tell you which strain you have, as the standard is just a "yes or no", not "hsv 1 or hsv 2", and they won't want to bother with that either.

Interesting. I'm not aware of any HSV testing here, maybe pregnant women, otherwise I've never heard a situation where it's just thrown at you.

Apodyopsis wrote:
They also won't do HIV tests unless you request and consent to them,

Here they offer but they don't do them without your specific consent and a talk.

JadeDRed wrote:

Actually we don't colloquially call anything other than genital herpes (usually HSV2) herpes, we have the lovely term cold sore and people would likewise fight you tooth and nail if you suggested their facial blisters were "herpes". Still is though.

I'm surprised at shingles though, I thought Americans called it Herpes Zoster. We don't.

we generally have shingles explained to us as adult-chickenpox, Ive never heard anyone call it herpes-zoster here or in the states. In the states we have lots of commercials for shingles vaccines and they always refer to it as shingles

JadeDRed wrote:

Interesting. I'm not aware of any HSV testing here, maybe pregnant women, otherwise I've never heard a situation where it's just thrown at you.

Its never thrown at us here, its never even mentioned, and if you say "I want a full workup" nobody will ever say "okay, but just so you know, that doesnt include HSV"

You have to ask. And then you get told "there is no test" (when there is, however inconclusive) or just "no we dont do that here". And when you ask WHERE they DO do it, they probably won't know where to send you, or revert back to "there is no test, and its not a big deal"

Allen Carbon wrote:

nope i get regular check ups and give blood every 4 months. I'm great!

Statistically speaking, you likely have at least two herpesviruses. Sorry about that.

JadeDRed wrote:
Actually we don't colloquially call anything other than genital herpes (usually HSV2) herpes, we have the lovely term cold sore and people would likewise fight you tooth and nail if you suggested their facial blisters were "herpes". Still is though.

It depends on the physician. Some call it what it is, others - not so much.

I'm surprised at shingles though, I thought Americans called it Herpes Zoster. We don't.

Shingles, zoster. It's probably equally used.

DHayes Photography wrote:

My blood donation center is deluxe!  We get fresh popcorn, orange juice, a variety of soft drinks, those little bite size candy bars and cookies.  If you want cash for your blood, there's a place in the sketchy part of town with even sketchier donors...

This is completely me. The last blood drive at work was fully booked. I was supposed to be out of the office so I didn't schedule an appt, but plans changed and I was at the office. I stopped by the blood drive between meetings and told them I could donate, but only if I give in the next hour (meetings). The Lady at the desk said 'thank you very much, but we're full'. Her supervisor looked at my info and stepped in, saying that they could actually take me immediately. Within 10 minutes I had a needle in my arm. The advantages of being O- ...

Tony-S wrote:

Statistically speaking, you likely have at least two herpesviruses. Sorry about that.

Oh noes!!

Nope. I don't have herpse because i don't get any :'(

Allen Carbon wrote:
Oh noes!!

Nope. I don't have herpse because i don't get any :'(

You're a complete virgin to any sort of sexual activity and youve never been kissed at all in any manner by even a relative?

Unless youve lived your entire life in a bubble, all you're saying is that you think you're negative because you dont actually know.

Tony-S wrote:

Statistically speaking, you likely have at least two herpesviruses. Sorry about that.

The man I am seeing has never even had chickenpox. He hasn't had the vaccine either. I told him to please get the chicken pox vaccine so he doesn't get chicken pox OR shingles down the road. He still hasn't and I've been seeing him for a year. Oh, and his mother is a retired RN. I said talk to your mother AND your doctor about it.

Apodyopsis wrote:

You're a complete virgin to any sort of sexual activity and youve never been kissed at all in any manner by even a relative?

Unless youve lived your entire life in a bubble, all you're saying is that you think you're negative because you dont actually know.

I'm sweet 16 and never been kissed.

Allen Carbon wrote:

I'm sweet 16 and never been kissed.

You're 16? o.O

Danielle Reid wrote:

You're 16? o.O

And his parents never kissed him.

Danielle Reid wrote:

You're 16? o.O

no lol. I wasn't being serious. Then again I wasn't being serious with my first comment that I don't get any but people took it  way too seriously anyway. -.-

Laura UnBound wrote:

And his parents never kissed him.

yup. my forehead is void off any parental affection, my cheeks absent from any emotional contact