Most get herpes as kids
Thursday, 28 l 10 l 2010 Source: Mind Your Body; The Straits Times By: April Chong
http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/news...s-as-kids.aspx
In fact, most people do not know they have it as the infection may have come and gone without any visible symptoms. APRIL CHONG reports
People who have never had them do not realise this: cold sores – blisters around the mouth or on the lips – are a common fact of life. They are caused by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and are so prevalent that up to 80 per cent of people would have antibodies against it by the time they reach adulthood. Type 2 is associated with genital herpes.
Eight in 10 Type 1 infections would have been probably acquired during childhood, said Dr Tan Hiok Hee, a senior
consultant dermatologist at the National Skin Centre. Many people do not know because, in many cases, the infection may have come and gone without any visible symptoms. Aside from the mouth lesions, Herpes Simplex Type 1 can also cause infections of the outer layers of the eye, especially the conjunctiva and cornea. It is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, such as through infected saliva and direct contact with the sores.
Children can get the virus simply by sharing cups, tumbling around during play or getting kissed by an affectionate, but infected, aunt. Once infected, the virus can lie latent in the nerve roots of the infected area and be re-activated to give rise to blisters periodically throughout a person’s life. Triggers include stress and a lowered immune system, said Dr Ng Chung Wai, a consultant family physician at Outram Polyclinic.
The virus can also be passed to the genital areas through contact, he added. In fact, cross-infections could
occur from oral-genital contact, so that one can get Type 2 infections of the mouth and Type 1 of the genitals. However, oral herpes infections are rarely serious or fatal except when the virus attacks certain areas, such as the
brain in extremely ill or vulnerable people, said Dr Tan.
While the virus can never be completely eradicated, anti-viral creams and oral anti-viral medications can shorten the duration of the attacks. To prevent your child from catching the virus, teach him not to share items that come
into contact with the mouth and make sure he learns good hygiene and hand-washing habits. Those with an infection should also avoid contact sports, kissing and touching the sores.