Genital Herpes

Every 1 in 6 people aged 14-49 is estimated to have genital herpes. The disease is contracted by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person. Coming into contact with the disease through saliva, genital secretions, a herpes sore, or skin in either an infected oral or genital area, can cause you to contract it.  It is even possible to contract the disease from someone who is unaware that they are infected and/or does not have any visible sores.

 If you are sexually active, there are a few things that you can do in order to reduce your risk of contracting genital herpes. 

    Only have sex with a partner that you are in a long-term monogamous relationship with.
    Properly use latex condoms every time that you have sex.
    If your partner has herpes, ensure that they are taking an anti-herpes medicine daily.
    Make sure to avoid having sex if your partner is having a herpes outbreak.

Most people who have genital herpes do not have symptoms and therefore do not know that they have the disease. Some people only experience mild symptoms that they mistake for pimples or ingrown hair and never realize that they are infected. The lack of or mildness of symptoms means that most people with herpes do not realize that they have it, which causes them to spread it unknowingly to their partners.

 When herpes does present with obvious symptoms, there are typically sores that appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals, rectum, or mouth. The blisters break, creating painful sores that can take more than a week to heal. This is known as a herpes outbreak.

 Many people experience flu-like symptoms when they have their first herpes outbreak. Once someone has had an outbreak, they are susceptible to having more. Most outbreaks are not as serious as the first and continue to lessen over time, although the disease remains with them throughout their life.

 If you are pregnant, it is important that you let your doctor know if you have ever been diagnosed with, or had symptoms of, genital herpes. Herpes can pass to your infant during delivery, causing a potentially deadly infection called neonatal herpes. If you could have genital herpes, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication in order to reduce the risk of having an outbreak at the time of delivery.

Come into Statcare for your herpes test. We offer the herpes simplex virus type-1 and 2 type-specific antibody test. This is a blood test that examines the blood for type-1 and type-2 antibodies. If there are enough antibodies found, the test is positive.

 Our test is 97-99% accurate within 4-6 weeks of exposure to the herpes virus, even if you are not presenting signs of an outbreak. Walk-in anytime to receive your test, which takes just 5 minutes, with results ready in 1-2 days.

 Your results will be either positive, negative, or indeterminate. A positive result does not mean that you definitely have herpes but determines the possibility. If your results are indeterminate, try testing again in 3 months.

There is no cure for herpes, but most people who are herpes-positive do not experience much disruption in their lives.

Those who experience outbreaks can manage them through the regular use of antiviral medications. While they are not a cure, they do help to control outbreaks, limit the severity of symptoms, and reduce the risk of transmitting the disease to others.

 Herpes treatment is important in order to ensure that the infection does not disrupt your life.

 Walk-in to any of Statcare’s 5 New York locations in Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, in order to receive your STD test. Your privacy and health are our priority at our New York Urgent Care. There is no need to wait for an appointment, you can get tested today and receive treatment from our professional healthcare providers.