Infections constantly surround a person, although we do not see them, they can always be infected. It happens in transport, at home, or from a partner almost everywhere there is a certain risk. But the most common infection is the herpes simplex virus.
Scientists have estimated that up to 90% of all inhabitants of the planet have the herpes simplex virus in their bodies. Only one question remains open about how not to get infected with herpes, especially when a person has not had contact with the carrier of the disease. There is no herpes simplex virus only in the newborn’s body.
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What is the danger of the virus for a newborn baby?
While the child is in the mother’s body, he receives everything necessary for his growth and development, a huge addition is a primary immunity. This protection of the baby is preserved for six months, it guarantees that he will not get sick when faced with those infections to which the mother’s body is immune.
The newborn has immunity against the herpes simplex virus. Gradually, the innate immunity passes, giving the right to the baby’s body to independently explore the world, including the infectious one.
No one will be able to answer how much a child does not encounter the herpes virus, but the later this happens, the better for him, this contact can be dangerous. The consequence of such contact can be an acute inflammatory process that can spread to the brain. Such disease will not pass without a trace, its consequences may remain for the rest of your life.
Mom should protect the baby from infection for as long as possible. Especially if someone in the family suffers from this disease. The optimal period when you can not be afraid of the virus is considered to be 4 years. During this period the human immune system is strong and ready for the ingress of foreign agents. This is especially important in terms of complications, you can not be afraid of them.
Spread of the disease
The herpes simplex virus is considered resistant to environmental factors. Its properties are preserved under the influence of low or high temperatures, in an aqueous environment. In space, its amount is considered insufficient to infect a person. You can get infected with the virus through contact with a partner or in the pool, there are several main transmission routes.
During the touch, herpes
100% infection will occur if you just take and touch the ulcer on a person’s lip. During these few days, when there is an ulcer, the virus shows maximum activity. Easily penetrating through the skin and mucous membranes, there are no barriers to it. During this period, kissing is strictly prohibited, otherwise, the disease will be on the lips of the partner.
The latter circumstance is relevant not only for those who have never encountered the disease. Even if the virus is in the body, its activation occurs due to an increase in the amount. Which is expressed in the appearance of a characteristic ulcer.
When the virus appears on the lips or genitals, kissing or oral sex is contraindicated for several days until the crusts pass. The latter transmission option guarantees the occurrence of the disease in the genital area. It is better to refrain from swimming in the pool.
Air and drip
The incubation period, that is, from the moment of penetration into the body before the first signs appear, is from a week to thirty days. There are no primary manifestations of the disease in this interval. Then, after a person has been ill for the first time, the virus is constantly present in saliva, vaginal discharge, semen, and mucosal secretions. Its amount is not large, however, it increases greatly during the incidence of acute respiratory infections or influenza, during this period the virus is very active.
When the patient sneezes and coughs, the virus spreads through the air in drops of saliva or mucosal secretions. When a person is nearby, the virus settles on his mucous membranes, and penetrates the body, provoking infection.
Household contact
From one partner to another, the disease is transmitted during the joint conduct of everyday life. After the hands come into contact with the wound, a lot of the virus remains on the skin of the fingers. During the touch, the objects that the patient touched are seeded.
It can be anything, the virus can be found on door handles, bathroom taps, forks, spoons, and dishes. It is believed that this is how the virus spreads massively, affecting up to 90% of the inhabitants of the planet. In this regard, you can wash your hands as often as possible, how many people talk about it in childhood.
How to protect yourself and your loved ones from herpes?
There is no doubt that the herpes simplex virus is contagious. It is not for nothing that such a large number of people are its carrier. The question of prevention remains open, as well as its necessity in modern conditions. Is it possible to prevent the virus when almost everyone already has it?
When it comes to an infant, everyone will agree that prevention is of great importance. This will help to avoid serious complications that the herpes simplex virus can lead to.
Mom or dad, whose lips have rashes, should approach the child only in a gauze mask, especially during the feeding period or to swaddle the baby. Washing the CC will help to avoid the accumulation of the virus on the surface of the skin. Up to 4 years old, a child shouldn’t swim in the pool.
There are other situations when prevention matters, if only just so that the virus does not manifest itself in people around. There are many ways to do this, and above all, treatment. The period of infection lasts exactly as long as there are ulcers on the skin or mucous membranes. When they go off in the use of antiviral drugs there is no special sense. Only drugs that accelerate wound healing may be required.
It is not only possible but also necessary to constantly avoid direct contact with people during the period of ulcers. For about a week you will have to do without caresses and kisses, other contacts in which the probability of getting the virus on the mucosa remains high.
It is contraindicated to treat the surface of the wound with bare hands. To apply the ointment, it is better to use cotton swabs, it is not only as hygienic as possible but also simply convenient. More often you need to wash your hands with soap under running water, this will help minimize the risk of indirect contact through household items.
Additionally, a personal towel and separate dishes will help to avoid the transmission of herpes, especially during the active period. This will help to save relatives and friends from the appearance of such a nuisance as herpes on the lips.
Knowing the specifics of transmission is much more likely to avoid infection. Especially during the periods of active reproduction and contagion, and performing simple rules in their essence, almost everyone has a chance to remain clinically healthy, in whose body the herpes simplex virus has found its home.