How to Reduce the Risk of Contracting Genital Herpes

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It is a highly contagious virus that can cause painful sores on the genitals and other areas of the body. While there is no cure for genital herpes, there are ways to reduce your risk of contracting it. Here are some tips on how to reduce the risk of contracting genital herpes:

1. Practice safe sex: Always use condoms or dental dams during sexual activity to protect yourself and your partner from STIs, including genital herpes.

2. Get tested: If you are sexually active, it’s important to get tested for STIs regularly in order to detect any infections early and avoid spreading them to others.

3. Avoid contact with infected areas: If you or your partner has an outbreak of genital herpes, avoid touching or coming into contact with any open sores or blisters in order to prevent transmission of the virus.

4. Limit sexual partners: The more sexual partners you have, the greater your risk of contracting an STI such as genital herpes is likely to be. Limiting your number of partners can help reduce this risk significantly.

5. Vaccinate against HSV-2: The HSV-2 vaccine helps protect against infection with type 2 HSV, which causes most cases of genital herpes infection in adults and adolescents aged 12 and over who have not previously been infected with type 2 HSV-1 or type 2 HSV-2 viruses before receiving the vaccine series .

By following these steps, you can help reduce your chances of contracting genital herpes and other STIs while also helping protect those around you from exposure as well!

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Tags:

Genital Herpes, Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Safe Sex, Condoms, Dental Dams, Testing, Open Sores/Blisters, Sexual Partners, HSV-2 Vaccine,

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