Can genital herpes be completely cured?

Written by Xie Ming Feng

Dermatology

Updated on September 07, 2024

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Genital herpes is a chronic, recurrent, and difficult to cure sexually transmitted disease caused by the infection of the herpes simplex virus in the urogenital and perianal skin and mucous membranes. Currently, there is a lack of drugs in clinical practice that can kill the herpes simplex virus, and also a lack of methods to kill the virus, therefore genital herpes cannot be completely cured.

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Written by Luo Hong

Dermatology Department

45sec

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Is blood testing for genital herpes accurate?

Genital herpes testing, blood tests generally reflect antibodies, which have a certain window period. If genital herpes has just occurred, and blisters have just formed, it is very possible that the antibodies are still negative, but the disease has already manifested. Or, the genital herpes may have healed, but the antibodies are positive. Therefore, blood tests can generally only diagnose past infections and are not very accurate for current infections. Thus, the best method for testing genital herpes is to collect blister fluid for DNA testing using PCR methods when blisters are present. This approach is the most accurate, while blood tests can only serve as a reference.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng

Dermatology

34sec

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What medicine is good for genital herpes?

For topical treatment of genital herpes, clinicians generally use antiviral medications such as acyclovir ointment, penciclovir cream, sodium phosphonoformate ointment, interferon ointment, and so on. If there is a concurrent bacterial infection, ointments like erythromycin, fusidic acid cream, and mupirocin ointment can be used in combination. Additionally, traditional Chinese medicine ointments that detoxify and dry dampness, such as borax and zinc oxide menthol ointment, can also be used.

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Written by Luo Hong

Dermatology Department

44sec

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Can genital herpes be completely cured without recurrence?

Genital herpes is difficult to completely cure without recurrence because the virus from the previous herpes outbreak resides at the sacral nerve root. When resistance is low, typically during times such as drinking alcohol and staying up late, the herpes virus travels to the area served by the sacral nerve, such as the external genitals, buttocks, and perineal region, causing blisters. Therefore, it is very difficult to completely eliminate genital herpes so that it never recurs, but the likelihood of recurrence generally decreases significantly after five to six years. Therefore, what we need to do is mainly to enhance our immune function. We can use some medications to help boost immunity, and we should also try to drink less alcohol and get more sleep.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng

Dermatology

40sec

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Can the genital herpes virus appear in the mouth?

Genital herpes virus refers to the herpes simplex virus, which is divided into Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 virus mainly causes infections of the skin and mucous membranes outside the genital and anal regions, but infections can also be caused by Type 2 virus. Type 2 virus primarily causes infections of the skin and mucous membranes of the genitals and anal area, although a minority of cases can also be caused by Type 1 virus. When herpes simplex virus Type 1 or Type 2 infects the mouth, it can lead to herpetic gingivostomatitis and herpetic pharyngitis.

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Written by Xie Ming Feng

Dermatology

30sec

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Can traditional Chinese medicine eradicate genital herpes?

Genital herpes is a chronic, recurrent, and difficult-to-cure sexually transmitted disease caused by the infection of the urinary and reproductive organs and the perianal skin and mucosa with the herpes simplex virus. Currently, in clinical practice, neither Chinese nor Western medicine has a drug that can completely eliminate the herpes simplex virus. Therefore, Chinese medicine cannot completely cure genital herpes, nor can Western medicine.