Grannies & Herpes?!

Grannies & Herpes?!

"That cold sore you had last winter, hate to break it to you babes but that’s herpes..."

BY: VH

UPDATED: 21/10/2023

21st century news flash, herpes is actually not that big of a deal.

Ok hear me out, but I bet your nan even has it.

In my opinion, herpes is one of the most misunderstood and over dramatised sexually transmitted infections.

That cold sore you had last winter, hate to break it to you babes but that’s herpes.

Please don’t freak out though.

I’m not trying to sentence my whole audience to a lifelong STI here.

I just want to try and help people understand herpes for what it actually is - a very common and manageable infection, NOT the end of your sex life.

The herpes simplex (HSV-1 or HSV-2) is a viral condition, typically causing oral and/or genital fluid filled blisters/sores.

The virus is passed on via skin to skin contact: kissing, sex, or an array of any other skin on skin activities people typically get up to on the daily.

According to the World Health Organisation “An estimated 3.7 billion people (67%) globally have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, the main cause of oral herpes.”

So when I said that your nan probably has it, I really wasn't exaggerating…

Credit where credit’s due though, that first outbreak is a bitch.

I caught it from my ex boyfriend who very annoyingly denied ever having heard of herpes before. I then had to endure the pain of approximately 25 (not even exaggerating) sores all around my vulva during our first weekend away together in Devon. Can’t say it scores in my top 5 most romantic weekends.

More than a year on now though and I’ve dealt with several outbreaks.

Yes they’re painful and quite annoying, but in no way has it forced me to resign from a happy and healthy sex life.

The narrative that herpes is some gross, nasty, don’t even wanna touch you with a 10” barge pole kind condition, kinda pisses me off.

I don’t blame anyone for misconceptions, we all have them. But hey, let’s be more open to changing our opinions when learning more about the reality of a health condition…

I can almost guarantee you will have had or atleast will know someone who has dealt with a cold sore in their life.

That cold sore is herpes!

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21136-cold-sores

It hurts my heart to see people completely breaking down when receiving a herpes diagnosis. Thinking that they're now eternally sentenced to an awkward and shameful sex life.

I do get it though, the prospect of being lumped with a lifelong STI is not gonna get you clapping for joy. But I promise you, it is nowhere near as bad as what it first seems.

I’m not saying that it’s a walk in the park, no STIs are, but the stigma around herpes needs to be dismantled.

Herpes is nothing to be ashamed of.

You are not disgusting or ‘infected’, it’s just about as gross as a pimple on the end of your nose.

But next winter when your nan is complaining about her cold sores, perhaps best to refrain from telling her that she’s got the herp…