About This Quiz
When you think 'herpes,' you probably conjure up visions of cold sores or (gulp) genital blisters. And, yes, oral and genital herpes are the most common types. Test your knowledge of herpes with this quiz.There is no cure for herpes. You can ease your symptoms, but the virus will always live in your cells once you have it.
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There are eight types -- their official names include a number, and most have a common name, too.
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Yes, most kinds of herpes are transmitted through fluids, like mucus, semen and saliva.
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Nope, don't share that spoon -- you can indeed get herpes from a utensil.
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HSV-1 is oral herpes and HSV-2 is genital herpes.
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Nope, it's even earlier. Most people acquire herpes as children.
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Many people who have herpes have no idea because their symptoms have never flared up.
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Yes, about 60 percent of American adults have HSV-1, or oral herpes.
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Nope, about 20 percent carry the HSV-2 virus.
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Experts say around 20 to 40 percent of infected people get cold sores.
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The only way you can pass genital herpes to your newborn is if you have a vaginal delivery during an outbreak. So a C-section would be safe.
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The HSV-1 infection lives near your ear, in the trigeminal ganglion.
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Abreva is the only cold-sore treatment that has been shown to heal sores.
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A definitive link hasn't been proven, but studies have associated HSV with Alzheimer's
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OK, perhaps that was a little confusing. Long story short, you're more likely to get oral herpes on your genitals than the other way around.
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Chicken pox and shingles are caused by the varicella zoster virus, otherwise known as human herpes virus 3 (HHV-3).
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HHV-4 is better known as the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It causes between 35 and 50 percent of mononucleosis cases in adolescents and young adults.
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The scary-sounding cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital virus -- but it's not definite that your baby will get it. That happens with about 40 percent of women who acquire it during pregnancy.
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Almost everyone gets HHV-6 by the time they're 2. It usually presents as a rash called roseola, but most people don't have any symptoms.
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Kaposi's sarcoma is a type of cancer associated with HHV-8. If HIV infection weakens the immune system, it allows HHV-8 to manifest itself.
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