Family Tree Clinic

STIS and HIV

Herpes

Herpes is virus that is spread through skin to skin contact. It causes painful blisters on the skin that show up at different times in a person’s life. There is no cure for herpes, but there are treatments that can help outbreaks not happen as often.

Herpes blisters can happen around the sexual body parts, anus, and the mouth. Herpes around the penis or vagina are called genital herpes. Herpes around the mouth are typically called “cold sores” and are really common for a lot of people.

If a person has cold sores, it doesn’t mean that they also have genital herpes, because it doesn’t spread throughout your body. However, herpes on any body part is spread through skin to skin touching, so it can be passed from one person’s mouth to another’s sexual body parts through oral sex.