What
is Herpes?
Oral
herpes is an infection of the lips, mouth, or gums due to the herpes simplex
virus. It causes small, painful blisters commonly
called cold sores or fever blisters. Oral herpes is also called herpes
labialis.
Oral
herpes is a common infection of the mouth area. It is caused by the herpes
simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Most people in the United States are infected
with this virus by age 20.
After
the first infection, the virus goes to sleep (becomes dormant) in the nerve
tissues in the face. Sometimes, the virus later wakes up (reactivates), causing
cold sores
Symptoms
Parents
may spread the virus to their children during regular daily activities.
Some
people get mouth ulcers when they first come into contact with HSV-1 virus.
Others have no symptoms. Symptoms most often occur in kids between 1 and 5
years old.
Symptoms
may be mild or severe. They most often appear within 1 to 3 weeks after you
come into contact with the virus. They may last up to 3 weeks.
Warning
symptoms include:
·
Itching
of the lips or skin around the mouth
·
Burning
near the lips or mouth area
·
Tingling
near the lips or mouth area
How Herpes Affects to your Brain?
Herpes—it’s
not something that many individuals readily admit to having, but if you’ve
ever had chicken pox, glandular fever or even a cold sore, you’ve been an
unlucky host of the herpes virus.
In
this video from Gross Science, Anna Rothschild explains how herpes
stays in the human body forever once contracted, lying dormant in neurons, and
how the unwanted viral guest can, on very rare occasions, cause brain damage.
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