Many people have heard of the term cold sores, but don't even know what it is or where they come from. Cold sores are infections caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus. The virus is very contagious as it can spread from skin to skin contact when an outbreak is present. It can also be spread through viral shedding. This happens around 5-15% of the days of the year.
The number of people affected by the herpes virus is unknown to most people. This is how it is spread around so easily. It is estimated that 80% of the population carry the Herpes Simplex virus, however only 1/3 of those receive outbreaks. You could carry the virus and have viral shedding, but never have an outbreak.
Many people also do not know that the Herpes Simplex virus has two strains. HSV-1 is commonly known as cold sores because the outbreaks occur near or around the mouth. The virus resides in the nerve ganglia in your cheekbone. HSV-2 is known as genital herpes and this affects mostly the genitals. The virus resides in your spine.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for the Herpes virus, It's for life. You will always be prone to an outbreak, and able to spread the virus to others. However, there are numerous cold sore treatments that you can apply to treat outbreaks. With the proper treatments and help you can reduce the amount of outbreaks you receive, the severity, and the pain associated with the sores. Implementing good prevention methods can help stage off outbreaks so you get them less frequently.
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Frequent cold sores are difficult to deal with when you don't know the proper measures to take. Apply the use of a good prevention program and this will help lessen the duration, pain, and frequency of outbreaks. Cold sore treatments, prevention methods, and help can be found at http://www.frequentcoldsores.com
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