Herpes Transmission: Debunking Myths and Embracing Facts
Let’s talk about what the science says about people living with herpes, versus how society embraces the stigma.
🧪Science: People get herpes through human-to-human, skin-to-skin contact, with or without symptoms. Herpes can transmit through a variety of ways that aren’t always sexual (like a kiss from a family member in childhood)
🚫Stigma: “She told me she has herpes so she’s definitely slept around.” “There’s a certain type of person who gets herpes and he is definitely one of them.”
⭐️Takeaway: Someone’s herpes status isn’t an indicator of their sex life, sexual frequency, or number of partners. Plus, someone sharing their STI status with you is a sex-positive sign!
🧪Science: Since barriers (like condoms) don’t cover the entire genital region, and because herpes transmits through skin-to-skin contact, someone can use barriers and still get herpes.
🚫Stigma: “It was just a one night thing. I mean we didn’t talk about STI tests or anything. I used a condom. They didn’t look like they had herpes.” ⭐️Takeaway: Someone can use condoms and still contract herpes due to the nature of its transmission (and lack of people knowing their herpes status). You can do everything “right” and still get herpes.
🧪Science: @who estimates that 67% of people under 50 live with HSV-1 and 491 million between 15-49 have HSV-2. It’s likely you’ve already come across someone with herpes (whether they have symptoms or not)
⭐️Takeaway: You can sleep with someone who is aware of their herpes status and never contract herpes. Many people with herpes lead fulfilling dating and sex lives with partners.
People looove to talk, but being able to separate fact from stigma can be helpful in how you navigate your dating life