Don’t judge a person by his or her appearance.
Especially, if you’re intimate with them.
A new study on herpes found that your sexual partner may be free of symptoms such as genital lesions, but that doesn’t mean he or she is not carrying the sexually transmitted disease.
And yes, they can pass it on to you even if it doesn’t "look" like they have it, according to the study to be published in tomorrow’s Journal of the American Medical Association. about 16 percent of adults in the United States have the herpes simplex type 2 virus, but only 10 to 25 percent with herpes show symptoms, the study said.
Scientists found that viral shedding on the genital skin that can’t necessarily be seen could cause the disease to be passed on.
Many people are engaging in sexual activity not knowing they are at risk of passing the virus on to their partners.
Herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world with an estimated 536 million people infected with it.
The researchers said condom use, drug therapy and disclosure of the disease to partners can help curb the spread of herpes.
But these methods have had limited impact because so many people don’t know they have herpes.
So get tested and make sure your partner does too.