Lip balm

[sedward2604]

Hi Terri,

First of all I want to say how relived I was to find out about someone so knowledgeable about herpes. I contracted cold sores from my mother as a child. I now have my own little girl who is 2 and I do worry giving cold sores to her. Educating myself about transmission has helped. Just a few qs..

1. As a general rule I don’t kiss my daughter. Just hugs. I don’t regular get cold sores maybe 1 every 2 years or so. If she touches my face by accident when I do have one is it unlikely for it to transfer that way.. would need to kiss her ?

2. I do try and keep all chapsticks and lipsticks out of reach. On occasion she has got her hands on them. What is the likelihood of her getting cold sores from using my chapstick if I don’t have any active lesions?

3 I am happily married and my husband has never caught them. But I don’t enjoy kissing him any more as I worry about viral shedding. Is it very likely to be safe to kiss him if I don’t have an active lesion?

4. If I’m careful do you think it’s possible not to pass them onto my daughter. My doctor told me it’s very likely as I’m her primary care giver . Even though I never kiss her ?

5.how long after exposure do people usually get symptoms ?ive heard it can live dormant in someone’s system. But would my daughter/husband be likely to show symptoms and if so how long after exposure

Thanks again

[Terri Warren]

1. As a general rule I don’t kiss my daughter. Just hugs. I don’t regular get cold sores maybe 1 every 2 years or so. If she touches my face by accident when I do have one is it unlikely for it to transfer that way.. would need to kiss her ?

Yes, you

2. I do try and keep all chapsticks and lipsticks out of reach. On occasion she has got her hands on them. What is the likelihood of her getting cold sores from using my chapstick if I don’t have any active lesions?

Extremely low. The herpes virus doesn’t like to live off the human body at all.

3 I am happily married and my husband has never caught them. But I don’t enjoy kissing him any more as I worry about viral shedding. Is it very likely to be safe to kiss him if I don’t have an active lesion?

there is always a minimal risk of transmission of HSV 1 through kissing without lesions but 1) has he been tested to know he’s not infected already? and 2) is it really worth not enjoying kissing anymore because of the small chance he could get cold sores which half the population has and is easily controlled with daily antiviral medication.

4. If I’m careful do you think it’s possible not to pass them onto my daughter. My doctor told me it’s very likely as I’m her primary caregiver. Even though I never kiss her?

I disagree with your doctor. given your behavior, I think transmission is very unlikely indeed!

5.how long after exposure do people usually get symptoms ?ive heard it can live dormant in someone’s system. But would my daughter/husband be likely to show symptoms and if so how long after exposure

IF someone is going to get symptoms, and not everyone does, they would show up 2-10 days after infection

Terri

[sedward2604]

Thanks Terri. It does consume a lot of my thinking although I feel I’m relaxing a bit. Part of my concern is that I feel like my own mother is careless about not passing it on to my daughter. The other day she used her serviette to wipe my daughters face. And the next day my mother broke out in cold sores. Is this likely to be a possible mode of transmission or does there need to be an active open sore? She is abiding my the no kissing rule. Do fry serviettes pose the same risk as warm towels ?

[Terri Warren]

I don’t feel like the napkin is a method of transmission to your daughter, no. They are different from towels as towels are thicker and will stay wetter and warmer far longer than a napkin.

Terri

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