1) You mentioned that there is “probably not” a chance for the virus to get out through my fingers even if there are hangnails (or cuticle wounds etc.). Does that mean it is not probable but still possible? From what I have read (including from your expertise), Herpetic whitlow does not shed when there are no visible sores. If it is not probable, but still possible, could you describe for me a situation where it might be able to get out even without visible sores?
I would revise that to say almost certainly not, actually.
2) Regarding question 2 on my prior post, your response suggests to me that if I did not suffer any oral or genital outbreak 2-10 days after my whitlow contraction then I can be confident it will not pop up there in the future. Is that right? There was genital sex
involved in the contact that gave me the whitlow, but protection was used.
Condoms reduce transmission of HSV 2 from females to males by 65% so effective but not perfect. I think if you didn’t have any oral or genital symptoms within 2-10 days after the contact, genital or oral infection is quite unlikely. How long after the sexual encounter did you develop herpes whitlow? And how exactly was your whitlow diagnosed?
3) Can the virus migrate to another site (i.e. genital or mouth region) other than the initial outbreak site through my nervous system? Or can it migrate through skin to skin contact only?
When it is on the finger, it will only reactivate in the area of your body supplied by the nerves that supply the finger. You could look at a nerve dermatome map online to see where that is exactly. it stays in that nerve group. Once you have developed a substantial immune response to this, which is about four months after being infected, it is highly unlikely that you would get this in a new place on your body, like genitals or mouth.
Terri