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Without seeing your mouth, I can not tell
you if you have Herpes. You are correct though that Herpes can
sometimes appear as cold sores around your mouth. Herpes is
caused by one of two viruses: herpes simplex type I (HSV-1)
which is most often associated with oral lesions, and herpes
simplex type II (HSV-2) the leading cause of genital ulcer
disease. HSV-1 and HSV-2 are interchangeable and therefore,
blisters near your mouth do not mean you definitely have
HSV-1. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 can produce sores in and around
the vaginal area, on the penis, around the anal opening, on
the buttocks and thighs and any part of the body where broken
skin has come in contact with HSV. HSV-1 though can be
contracted without sexual contact. Herpes lives in the body
for a lifetime and causes periodic symptoms. Between these
recurrent episodes, there are no visible symptoms and herpes
is said to be "latent." However, herpes can still be
spread without active symptoms. 80% of people with genital
herpes are unaware of their disease because they either do not
recognize symptoms or do not develop any. Herpes can be
transmitted during oral-genital sex in either direction. In
order to determine whether you have Herpes, visit Health
Services when you have the sores on your mouth. A clinician
can usually make a diagnosis from visible sores, but in order
to distinguish between the two types of herpes a viral culture
test is needed. For more information, consider looking at www.niaid.nih.gov
or www.ashastd.org.
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