STD HERPES: WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
The symptoms of herpes usually last for a short time and go away for long stretches of time, so many people put the symptoms out of their minds and don’t seek medical attention. When people do seek medical help, they may find that some health care providers are not very well informed about herpes. This is a rapidly expanding area of research, and many health care providers probably still rely on out-of-date information. For this reason, if possible, those with herpes should obtain care for the infection from an STD specialist or from an infectious disease specialist if they feel that their questions are not being satisfactorily answered.
When a person becomes infected with oral or genital herpes, he or she may or may not know it. About 40 percent of people infected with genital herpes are completely symptom free with their first infection, and nearly 70 percent of people with oral herpes never notice cold sores. It is estimated that 20 percent of people with genital herpes will never have symptoms in their lifetimes and that 80 percent will—although most of them will not realize that their symptoms are from herpes.
*255\213\8*
