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Shedding & the Symptoms of Herpes

For those individuals living with herpes, outbreaks are usually easy to spot with the naked eye. However, during those times that outbreaks are not evident, herpes can still be transmitted due to viral shedding. By becoming more familiar with what viral shedding is and when it occurs, a person can better understand and anticipate their level of risk with spreading or contracting herpes.

  1. Definition of Shedding

    • According to Herpes-Cold Sores, a website devoted to providing information on the viral disease, viral shedding occurs when the virus travels nerve pathways to the surface of the skin and becomes active. During this time, the virus is contagious, but it is possible for there to be no visual signs of infection during this time.

    Viral Shedding Statistics

    • Herpes-Cold Sores website states that the chance of spreading herpes due to viral shedding is very low if direct skin contact is avoided, but it is proven that some people can transmit the virus to a partner with no signs or symptoms of the virus. Herpes.com (See Reference 2) states that genital herpes is more common in women due to the higher likelihood of male-to-female transmission. This statistic has a direct correlation with viral shedding, as Herpes-Cold Sores states that women are prone to a higher rate of shedding. However, the website also says rates of shedding can differ greatly from person to person. Viral shedding requires a great deal more research before it can be fully understood.

    Viral Shedding and Herpes Symptoms

    • As a rule to live by, Herpes.com states that a person with genital herpes could potentially always be shedding the active virus because shedding can occur asymptomatically. However, there is a silver lining for those individuals living with herpes. Dating with Herpes, a resource for those people with herpes on the dating scene, states that the longer someone has the herpes virus, the milder and less frequent their outbreaks become. As the outbreaks become less frequent, asymptomatic shedding also decreases. Herpes-Cold Sores further backs up this claim by stating that viral shedding occurs during 20 to 40 percent of the days during the first six months of exposure to the herpes virus, but this figure is cut in half after this initial six month period.

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