Researchers work on cure for herpes

Dear Dr. Roach: If a person has been exposed (verified by blood test) to herpes 1 and 2, can that person be a blood donor?

Could a person catch herpes by sitting on a toilet seat that has been used by an infected person?

Are scientists working on a cure for herpes? — Anon.

There remains a stigma against people with genital herpes, which is almost always caused by herpes simplex virus type 2.

However, most people with genital herpes will not have major disruptions to their lives provided they take some precautions.

First off, a person with herpes simplex virus type 1 (about half of the population between ages 18-49, higher in older people) or HSV-2 (about 12 percent of the same population) certainly can donate blood.

Second, being exposed doesn’t guarantee infection.

Third, blood testing is not perfect.

Fourth, getting any kind of sexually transmitted infection from a toilet seat is very unlikely.

Herpes viruses have a very difficult time getting through intact skin, which is why most exposures come through mucus membranes, especially of the genitals and mouth.

There is a type of herpes (usually HSV-1, occasionally HSV-2) in wrestlers, called herpes gladiatorum or “mat herpes,” and it can be transmitted from person to person through skin-to-skin contact, especially if the skin is raw or chafed.

Once a person has herpes of either variety, there is no cure.

The virus stays in the nerve cells.

There is extensive work being done both on preventing transmission and curing existing infections, but herpes viruses are very good at escaping the immune system.

This makes herpes difficult to treat.