Mark Henderson answered
Yes, you can catch oral herpes by sharing a cigarette, drink, glass, kitchen utensil or straws (or anything that has been in direct contact with someone's mouth) from someone who has the herpes virus.
Can you catch herpes from smoking or drinking after someone who has herpes?
The herpes simplex virus or HSV can be distinguished into two types, HSV-1 and HSV-2.
They are referred to as asymptomatic shedders and transmit HSV infections to other people without showing signs of infection themselves. The shedding (as well as recurrent lesions) occurs because an infected person carries the herpes simplex virus for life.
The HSV has evolved a means to escape the immune system called latency. The virus hides inside nerve cells and - in around 15% of people who carry the virus - it reawakens and produces recurring painful and infectious sores on affected body parts.
The herpes simplex virus is a tiny particle that is only one five-thousandth of a millimetre across. This means 100 million of them can fit on top of a pinhead. It is composed of a core that holds the viral DNA that is wrapped in a coat that is protein-studded, and which is called the envelope. The proteins allow the HSV to latch onto and invade target cells.
Can you catch herpes from smoking or drinking after someone who has herpes?
The herpes simplex virus or HSV can be distinguished into two types, HSV-1 and HSV-2.
- The first type, HSV-1, is carried by around 80% of the populace. It is responsible for cold sores and is picked up by most people during the first years of life through affectionate kisses from parents and siblings.
- The second type, HSV-2, affects around 5%-10% of the populace and is associated with the sexually-transmitted disease genital herpes.
They are referred to as asymptomatic shedders and transmit HSV infections to other people without showing signs of infection themselves. The shedding (as well as recurrent lesions) occurs because an infected person carries the herpes simplex virus for life.
The HSV has evolved a means to escape the immune system called latency. The virus hides inside nerve cells and - in around 15% of people who carry the virus - it reawakens and produces recurring painful and infectious sores on affected body parts.
The herpes simplex virus is a tiny particle that is only one five-thousandth of a millimetre across. This means 100 million of them can fit on top of a pinhead. It is composed of a core that holds the viral DNA that is wrapped in a coat that is protein-studded, and which is called the envelope. The proteins allow the HSV to latch onto and invade target cells.
