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Oral Herpes
Can you get oral herpes from sharing food with someone? I was sharing a piece of pizza with my friend earlier today and now I have a couple of cold sores? Or could it be caused from suckers, because I've been sucking on them for the past couple of days?
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Cold sores are always oral herpes (usually strain HSV-1 while genital herpes is usually strain HSV-2).
Although many people claim that you cannot transmit herpes by silverware or eating and drinking after each other it is really quite common.
Herpes is very, very common now:
"...one in six adults have genital herpes. It is estimated that over 80 million Americans have herpes of one form or another. This means that 8 in 10 Americans are or will become infected."
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...which would mean about 80% of the American population has herpes!
Most people have regular outbreaks but it is possible to go years in between them. Most people also show signs of contracting HSV-1/2 about 10 to 14 days after but there are occasions where some do not have outbreaks for years. The first outbreak usually is the most severe of them. If you shared pizza and contracted oral herpes earlier today then you, most likely, wouldn't be showing the symptoms yet. It is possible that you had contracted this virus years prior and have gone a lengthy period of time without an outbreak. It's rare, but there are some people that have gone over 10 years without having an outbreak.
The only way you can truly know if you have herpes is to visit a doctor while having a visible outbreak so they can test it. They may scrap the area and take your blood. The blood may show antibodies for the specific strain of herpes. I highly suggest you get this done immediately so that you can prevent spreading it to boyfriends/girlfriends you may have later.
You would be astonished by the number of people who have accidentally given their child herpes (type 1 and/or 2) just by changing the baby's diaper. It's so contagious it's frightening. It is possible that at some point someone around you was infected and kissed you on the lips, thus allowing it to be spread to you.
Babies can also definately be born with herpes. If the mother experiences an outbreak during labor then there are high chances the baby will contract the virus. The baby also may be blind or end up with ocular herpes since it passes through the vaginal canal and the eyes may come in contact with the sores/infected areas.
I know someone who got herpes when she was a very, very young girl. She says she remembers her first outbreak pretty clearly but has no recollection of being kissed on the mouth by her mother, someone who had frequent outbreaks. She says the most she can figure was that she drank or ate after her mother and contracted it that way.
The more you stress, the more likely you are to experience an outbreak. Try to relax and tend to your body now. It is important to do everything you can to boost your immune system to decrease outbreaks. You should begin avoiding chocolate and sunlight, as both can trigger severe outbreaks. If you currently smoke, please try to quit so that your immune system raises again. This could be a reason why you've suddenly experienced an outbreak.
You also need to make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching the area around the sore. You CAN spread it to other places on your body. It may spread on it's own, but it'd be a shame to see you back saying you touched your eye after you touched the sore and now have contracted ocular herpes. You should take every precaution you can to not spread it to other areas of your body or to other people.
Please know that you can also spread your oral herpes to a partner's genitals if you engage in oral stimulation. You can spread it even if you are currently not having an outbreak.
In short, many people have herpes that have never had sex before. Many innocent people have never even kissed anyone before and have herpes because of adults in their life that didn't take extreme precautions to prevent transmitting the virus to their infant. Many parents are so ashamed of this that they do not bother to actually tell their child that the outbreak is not normal and that it's an STD they have to live with forever.
This all being said, it is possible you had herpes long before this outbreak and were unaware of it, especially at the young age of 15. Please take precautions to protect other people (do not eat or drink after others and try to avoid kissing, especially during an outbreak). Your best bet to go to the doctor and be tested.
Be aware that if you spread herpes to someone else they CAN sue you. This means an innocent kiss can turn into an ugly mess if the person can prove they did not have herpes before they kissed you.
If you have any more questions regarding this sort of thing PLEASE feel free to ask me! :)
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