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MYTH: You can't donate blood if you have herpes.
TRUTH: "Herpes simplex is not a cause for deferral from giving blood unless the donor is
ill, i.e. running a fever, feeling listless or has an outbreak of sores. Herpes is kept in
the body in the nerve cells, not in the blood." (Note: You must, however,
stop taking any anti-viral herpes medications for 48 hours before donating.)
--Dr Haley, Sr. Medical Officer, Biomedical Services, American Red Cross
MYTH: Pregnant women with herpes have to have a Cesarean.
TRUTH: "A vaginal delivery is safe for most women with recurrent herpes as long as they
don't have signs of infection at delivery."
--March of Dimes
"If a woman doesn't have herpes lesions at the time of delivery, the standard of care
recommended is vaginal delivery."
--American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
MYTH: You can catch herpes from a toilet seat, towel, swimming pool, or hot tub.
TRUTH: "It's almost impossible to get infected through contact with toilets, towels, or other objects used by an infected person.
--Mayo Health Clinic
"The virus is spread only rarely, if at all, by contact with objects such as a toilet seat or hot tub."
--American Medical Association (AMA)
MYTH: Cold sores are not caused by herpes.
MYTH: Oral herpes is always caused by HSV-1 and genital herpes is always caused by HSV-2.
TRUTH: "There are two types of
HSV, and both can cause the symptoms of genital herpes. HSV type 1 most commonly causes
sores on the lips (known as fever blisters or cold sores), but it can cause genital
infections as well. HSV type 2 most often causes genital sores, but it also can infect the
mouth."
--American Medical Association (AMA)
"Both viral types can cause either genital or oral infections."
--Center for Disease Control (CDC)
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